3 stars Birmingham City must be eager to keep in League One

The Keep Right On Podcast panellists all chose a player they would want to see continue at Birmingham City in League One.

Birmingham City are still dealing with their relegation to League One, and unpleasant conversations are taking place behind the scenes. In addition to the eight out-of-contract players whose futures are uncertain, a handful of those on contract may be traded this summer.

Some of these decisions will be made by Blues following a season in which expectations were not reached, while others will be made by players afraid to move to League One. The Blues have several players with international careers to safeguard, and the third division of English football is unlikely to be good enough for selection.

However, in an ideal world, the Blues would be able to retain their top players. After all, many of those signed last summer agreed to long-term contracts that cannot simply be terminated.

On the Keep Right On Podcast’s’relegation post-mortem’ edition, Alex Dicken, Brian Dick, and Ben Hawker each picked a player that they would want to see stay at St Andrew’s this summer.

Brian Dick

“I don’t anticipate Paik Seung-ho to be here next season, but he is the closest thing Blues have to a central midfielder who serves as the team’s fulcrum – a technical, physically fit, and mobile player. Paik is the player I’d like to see line up in the first game of the season, away to Stockport in August.”

Alex Dicken

“I’d keep Paik as well. Two more for me, one of whom is Krystian Bielik. I highly doubt he would be interested in a season in League One. I know he had other offers on the table last summer, some from abroad and some from other Championship clubs, and he refused to move to League One with Derby County because he believed it would jeopardize his prospects of joining the Poland national team.

“I’d be astonished if he slipped down, but he still has two years on his contract, so the Blues have the upper hand. Bielik can play centre-back and has been the club’s most consistent player this season. He’s been the top center-back this season, as well as one of the finest midfielders, and most probably the best holding midfielder. It would be a huge coup if Blues could persuade him to play in League One, even if only for a season.”

Ben Hawker

“Both of those two seem difficult to retain hold of, and they would be on my list as well. I’d go with Lee Buchanan at left-back. I believe he’s been quite consistent this season, having stepped in to play centre-back at times and not seeming out of place. Blues have all the cards because he signed a five-year contract.

“I don’t believe the club is in a position where it needs to sell players to balance its budget. The club holds the cards, and it is up to these guys to stay. There has to be a ‘Are you in on the adventure with us in League One or are you out?’ question in the near future. If they are not, the club can make preparations to relocate these players, whether permanently or temporarily. The worst-case scenario would be if any left in August, leaving the Blues scrambling to replace players of that caliber. These are the judgments you want to make or have in the works by early summer.”