Birmingham City have made a smart move to secure another League One ‘specialist’

Birmingham City will have their sights set on top of League One regulars this summer. Despite the club’s relegation to the third tier, the Blues’ budget will still be strong and they are able to afford Championship wages thanks to Knighthead’s financial muscle.

That’s why it wasn’t much of a surprise to see a player like Jonson Clarke-Harris – a League One goalscorer with Midlands links – move north to join Rotherham United earlier this week. The Blues can aim a little higher this summer.

But their squad still needs knowledge and experience from League One, which is why the decision to extend Keshi Anderson’s contract by another year can be seen as a shrewd one.

Anderson was only a regular choice for John Eustace and Gary Rowett last term but managed to show enough quality to warrant another year now the club are in the third tier. His game intelligence and willingness to work for the team saw him keep Juninho Bacuna and Siriki Dembele out of the squad in the final weeks of the season.

READ: Marc Roberts sends emotional farewell message after Birmingham City exit

READ: Jude Bellingham, Kevin Long and Ethan Laird react after Birmingham City confirm departure

While his tendency to pull the trigger too late has cost him goals and he has only officially recorded two assists, we can all see the value in keeping Anderson around. The 29-year-old is a skilful player on a reasonably low wage compared to what others have fetched at the Blues in recent years.

And he also won promotion from League 1. Anderson was part of the Blackpool side that won promotion to the Championship via the 2021 play-offs. He started their 2-1 win over Lincoln City in the final at Wembley.

Alex Pritchard flattered him to cheat in a Blues shirt after his January switch from Sunderland, but he has two years left on his contract to make amends. The 31-year-old midfielder is another player with a Ligue 1 promotion on his CV.

Pritchard starred for Sunderland in 2022/23, with four goals and nine assists in the regular season before helping them beat Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 under the arc for a Championship place.

There is another player in the Blues squad who has torn up League One before as well. But there is a question mark over whether Dembele will stay, given how his first season with the Blues ended.

The 27-year-old has some work to do to rebuild his position at the Blues after losing his way midway through the campaign. Will a player who thought he had left League One three years ago be willing to drop down again? Maybe it will have to.

The prospect of a Dembele on song in the third tier is tempting to say the least. Dembele scored 11 goals and provided 10 assists in 42 League One appearances to help Peterborough earn automatic promotion from the third tier in 2020/21.

The Blues’ recruitment team have a lot of work to do this summer, but some of the necessary ingredients for the promotion recipe are already in the building.

Do you think Anderson, Pritchard and Dembele will play key roles? Have your say in the comments section HERE