4 Birmingham players who will surely be pushing for an exit

Birmingham City have a number of players out of contract and their futures will definitely need to be resolved.

Plenty of their defenders are currently on course to leave the club on the expiration of their current deals, including Maxime Colin, Harlee Dean, George Friend and Kevin Long, all of whom may be looking to extend their stays at St Andrew’s.

Following a reasonably solid first season under John Eustace, that may persuade some of them to put pen to paper on extensions, although a couple of them may not be handed new deals as Birmingham’s boss potentially looks to freshen up his squad with some new faces.

The departures of their loanees should also give Eustace room to bring in some signings during the summer window, with a considerable number of players needed if they want to give themselves the best chance of building on the 2022/23 campaign.

Excluding George Hall who may want to stay in the Midlands to secure regular first-team football and Jobe Bellingham who looks to be on his way to Sunderland, which other Birmingham players may be pushing for a move away this summer, either on loan or permanently?

We have selected four players who may want to depart St Andrew’s during the upcoming window.

Neil Etheridge (Permanent)

The Philippines international was stuck behind John Ruddy in the pecking order for much of the 2022/23 campaign and that’s a shame for him because he’s good enough to be a starter in the Championship every week.

Stoke City and Huddersfield Town were both interested in a move back in January and even though he hasn’t played regularly in the past year, that may not stop him from attracting interest from elsewhere.

A loan would be fine for him considering his deal expires in 2024 – but he will probably want to settle down somewhere permanently now and that’s why it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him leave on a longer-term deal if he’s happy to take a pay cut.

Whether an interested team would offer him a salary he will accept remains to be seen though.

Sam Cosgrove (Permanent)

It just hasn’t worked out for Cosgrove at St Andrew’s but he was an important part of Plymouth Argyle’s promotion-winning side.

Recording 12 goals and two assists in 43 competitive appearances this term, he has certainly done enough to earn himself another spell in League One, but he may want to secure a permanent exit.

It doesn’t seem as though he will make a first-team breakthrough in the Midlands and if that’s definitely the case, he will surely want to make a fresh start elsewhere.

Going out on another loan spell will only delay his inevitable departure from Eustace’s side. At 26, he still has plenty to give so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if a permanent offer is made between now and the end of August.

Nico Gordon (Loan)

Gordon has been unlucky in terms of game time because he has looked capable whenever he’s played at a senior level.

The departures of Auston Trusty and Dion Sanderson could give him the chance to shine and there are other central defenders who could potentially leave, but if he isn’t going to start regularly next season (and has his contract option exercised), he needs to be allowed to go out on loan.

Considering how talented he is, there would surely be no shortage of EFL offers but it remains to be seen whether Blues would sanction a temporary exit.

Gordon is 21 now though and needs to be playing as much first-team football as possible.

Jordan James (Loan)

Although a permanent exit could be on the cards with Bologna and Leicester City both reportedly interested in him, he could also seal a loan exit.

One less permanent option could be on the table for him in the summer if the Foxes are relegated – and that could push him further towards a temporary move away rather than a long-term one.

Bellingham’s departure could boost his game time – but Eustace is likely to have plenty of other midfield options at his disposal following the end of the summer window and this is why it may be wise for James to ask for a loan move – something that could boost his chances of getting a Wales call-up again.

He will be desperate to make an impact at a senior level for his nation – but will only be able to do so by getting a decent amount of first-team football under his belt at a domestic level.