3 Birmingham City players whose careers are at a real crossroads

Heading into the 2023/24 campaign, there is perhaps cause for optimism at Birmingham City.

The club are currently in the process of a takeover, and in John Eustace, have a young head coach who showed encouraging signs at times last season.

A number of experienced players are set to leave the club, too, so those will need to be replaced, and the prospect of who could arrive is intriguing.

That said, there are still a number of players at the club whose Blues’ future is at a crossroads. Below, we have identified three of those.

Will Neil Etheridge leave Birmingham?

One player to fall under this category, we think, is Birmingham City goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.

During 2020/21 and 2021/22, when fit, Etheridge was the number one keeper at St. Andrews. However, last season, he lost this position.

Indeed, John Ruddy was John Eustace’s preferred goalkeeper last season, with Etheridge making just four Championship appearances.

The 33-year-old is the clear number two, then, and therefore his career at the club is at a crossroads.

Indeed, he must surely decide if he is happy with that role moving forwards, and if not, a move to pastures new could perhaps be a possibility.

Ivan Sunjic

Another Blues player whose career is at a crossroads is midfielder Ivan Sunjic.

Set to return to St. Andrews after a loan spell in Germany that saw him relegated with Hertha Berlin, Sunjic still has one-year left on his contract.

It really is hard seeing him remaining at the club this summer, though, and so it feels as though it is a real crossroads moment for the 26-year-old.

Recent reports suggest a move to Turkey could be a possibility.

Are Birmingham going to retain Sam Cosgrove?

Last but not least, Sam Cosgrove is another player facing a difficult choice this summer.

After a decent loan spell at Plymouth, in which he scored 12 goals, it would be natural for the 26-year-old to be given a chance back at Blues.

However, with Scott Hogan and Lukas Jutkiewicz for competition, and the club being linked with other forward additions, you wonder how much game time Cosgrove may get.

Of course, with Troy Deeney outgoing, there is definitely a place for Cosgrove in the squad, but, If his minutes are going to be very limited, he may well be better off looking elsewhere for regular starts this summer for the sake of his career.