Birmingham City transfers: Midfielder linked, possible exits, men pulling the strings

The transfer carousel is just getting started and Birmingham City will get involved once their managerial situation is resolved.

The Blues have released five players and another five have returned to their parent clubs on loan. It goes without saying that this will be an extremely busy summer in terms of inflows and outflows.

Genuine transfer links have been few and far between, most likely due to players waiting for clarity on who they will play. So far, George Byers is the only player to have been linked with the Blues.

Signing Byers is a realistic prospect. The 28-year-old midfielder was released by Sheffield Wednesday after spending the final six months of his contract on loan at League One side Blackpool.

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Who could leave?

The Blues have offered John Ruddy and Lukas Jutkiewicz new contracts and hope to keep hold of the experienced duo. Goalkeeper Ruddy is believed to be interested in the Championship and Blackburn Rovers, managed by former Blues boss John Eustace, have been linked with the 37-year-old.

Jutkiewicz is keen to extend his Blues career into a ninth year but, as you’d expect, much will depend on the new manager and what other offers come his way. Given his experience and status in the game, Jutkiewicz won’t be short of offers either.

A number of those under contract could realistically leave the club this summer, but the one who will bring in the most money is Jordan James. The Wales international is the subject of interest from Italian side Atalanta, who ended Bayer Leverkusen’s remarkable unbeaten run to win the Europa League, with Premier League outfits also keeping track.

James has broken into the Wales XI over the past 12 months and would struggle to keep his place if he stays with the Blues in League One. Speaking to the BBC about James’ future, Wales manager Rob Page said: “I know there is definitely interest. I wouldn’t be surprised if he left. We will have to wait and see.”

Who does the Blues business?

Technical director Craig Gardner is leading the Blues’ recruitment process at the moment. Gardner was hailed by Knighthead chiefs for his business last summer and will work hard to identify players to suit the new manager’s wants and needs.

The Blues now rely more on data when it comes to signing players. The club are keen to take a more analytical approach to recruitment after seeing the success of Brighton and Brentford in recent years.

Explaining how the recruitment process works, chief executive Garry Cook said last year: “People are responsible and accountable, some people are consulted and some people are just informed. If you look across our squad, we have Craig Gardner who has had a fantastic summer and his job as technical director is to make sure the manager and his team have all the resources they need.

“And we have a board that ultimately writes the checks. We also have a finance department under Mark Smith who plays a role. To think about a football club these days, it’s not just the manager who makes all the decisions. However, how naive from a professional point of view, if you didn’t listen to the manager what he needs and what he wants.”

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