No less than sixteen players departed St Andrews @ Knightead Park, many of whom had become peripheral members of the squad and somewhat at odds with the progressive and ambitious upwards trajectory spearheaded by Tom Wagner and co.
Expendable members of the squad which was relegated from the Championship last season such as Ivan Sunjic, Neil Etheridge, Gary Gardner, Marc Roberts and Scott Hogan were all released, while fees were collected for assets in Siriki Dembélé, Juninho Bacuna and Jordan James.
Much discourse has surrounded the magnitude and expenditure of Blues’ incomings during the recent window but they deserve merit for offloading some high-earning, aging players too. By doing so, they have left themselves in a comfortable situation regarding expiring contracts – only two permanent deals are set to expire at the end of the season.
But with no shortage of loan arrivals to run the rule over either, Football League World has decided to assess the six players currently poised to leave the blue quarters of the Second City next year…
Lukas Jutkiewicz
The 35-year-old striker has played over 300 games for the Blues, scoring 67 goals. However, as he approaches his 36th birthday later this season, his playing time is likely to be limited due to the high-profile signings of Jay Stansfield and Alfie May.
Jutkiewicz has been a loyal and valuable player for the club, still beloved by fans, though it seems his time may come to an end next summer.
Keshi Anderson.
There was also recent uncertainty pertaining to the immediate future of Keshi Anderson, who had been set to see his deal expire before being handed a one-year extension, too.
The winger is now in his second season with Blues and has even been among their most impressive performers thus far, despite the stern competition in wide areas.
Anderson has previously shown he can perform in the Championship, which is where Blues will surely find themselves next season. He also appears to be a highly-valued member of Chris Davies’ team, but Birmingham’s ambition and ability to bolster the squad wherever and whenever they see fit offers no guarantees.
It will be interesting, then, to see how this one pans out over the coming months.
Luke Harris
Luke Harris was one of four loan arrivals at Birmingham during the summer, although his agreement does not include an purchase option for the club like some of their others.
Still only 19, the Fulham loanee is highly-regarded at his parent club and has already represented Wales at senior international level, while he caught the eye on loan with Exeter City last term.
At face value, a permanent deal for the creative midfielder may appear out of Blues’ reach, but they ended up landing Stansfield from the Cottagers after his loan spell by shelling out a reported £15m sum to send shockwaves up and down the country.
You would imagine that Birmingham’s financial muscle would be called into action once again in the event that Harris impresses sufficiently enough to make them consider turning the move into a long-term one.
However, Blues have shown that they can defy the odds and lodge irresistible offers for their chief targets so it cannot be ruled out by any stretch of the imagination.
Alfons Sampsted
Alfons Sampsted was one of several players to move from the Eredivisie to the League One title contenders this summer, joining on a season-long loan from FC Twente with an option to buy.
The exact fee the Blues would need to pay for Sampsted remains uncertain. The 26-year-old, who made 29 appearances in the Dutch top flight last season, has a strong track record at both club and international levels but will have to compete with Ethan Laird for the right-back position.
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