Birmingham City star needs to imitate Ipswich Town hero after League One relegation

Dropping to League One could help Ethan Laird kick-start his career, just as it did with Ipswich Town’s Leif Davis.

It goes without saying that no one associated with Birmingham City would have wanted the team to be relegated at the end of the 2023/24 season, but things are looking up at St Andrews this summer.

It is unusual for a team that has been relegated to League One to be upbeat during the off-season, but with ambitious owners and major ambitions on and off the field, the Blues appear to be in good shape for the 2024/25 season.

Birmingham City will have a good group next season, and the players, particularly Ethan Laird, will be aiming to prove a point after being relegated the previous season.

The right-back moved to St Andrew’s from Manchester United this summer, and while being relegated is not how he expected the move to go, he should consider it as a fresh start, and take inspiration from a fellow young defender,

Ethan Laird should take inspiration from Leif Davis’ time in League One

It would be easy for Laird to feel sorry for himself following the club’s relegation, but he could draw inspiration from Ipswich Town’s Leif Davis to restart his career in English football’s third tier.

24-year-old Davis is two years older than Laird and found himself in this predicament two years ago, when he left Leeds on a permanent basis to join then-League One club Ipswich.

Davis struggled to make an impact with Leeds, dropping down the pecking order at Elland Road following their promotion to the Premier League, and he spent the 2021/22 season on loan at AFC Bournemouth, where he struggled to make an effect during their promotion-winning campaign.

This meant that in the summer of 2022, he left Leeds to join Ipswich on a permanent basis, and playing in a successful League One side gave him a new lease on life, and just two years later, he’s preparing for the Premier League, where he’s expected to play an important role for Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich side.

It should be noted that Laird is only 22, so a season in League One will do him no harm, and if he performs well, there is no reason why he can’t earn his way back to the top level of English football.

Davis was in League One when Laird was young, and the former Manchester United star could reap the advantages of playing at that level of football, as he has the potential to become a prominent player and record some outstanding stats.

Ethan Laird is still a very talented player

Laird’s season at St Andrew’s was frustrating because he only made 26 appearances due to injury, but if he can stay fit in League One, the former Manchester United player may be a tremendous asset.

He made his Manchester United debut over five years ago, at the age of 18, and it’s evident that you don’t get picked to play for a club of that caliber in a European game unless you have something special about you.

Perhaps Laird’s best period in professional football came when he was loaned to Swansea City for the first part of the 2021/22 season, where he became a regular in Russell Martin’s side and caused Championship defenders all sorts of issues with his quickness and skill.

He impressed so much that he spent the second half of the season on loan at AFC Bournemouth, where he teamed up with the aforementioned Davis, but he only made six appearances as the club battled for promotion.

He spent the 2022/23 season on loan at QPR, where he played 33 appearances, and Birmingham’s capture of him last summer appeared to be a major coup.

While his first season at St Andrew’s did not go as planned, there is no reason why Laird cannot be the first name on Chris Davies’ teamsheet next season, and he only needs to look at his former Bournemouth teammate Davis to see that this could be the start of bigger and better things in the future.