During the international break, Birmingham City made a crucial step by extending three players’ contracts.
The days of Birmingham City supporters waiting for released and retained lists appear to have passed.
Every May, a few weeks after the season ends, the Blues notify their fans of who they will be offloading at the end of their contracts. Six senior players have left in each of the previous two summers.
John Ruddy, Neil Etheridge, Marc Roberts, Ivan Sunjic, Gary Gardner, and Scott Hogan all left the Blues this year. The Blues renewed Keshi Anderson and Lukas Jutkiewicz’s contracts for another year.
Last Friday, Blues extended Anderson’s contract for another year, bringing it to the summer of 2026, making Jutkiewicz the sole senior player at the club whose contract expires in 2025.
That feels very significant. Regardless of which players are on this voyage for the long run, Knighthead has taken steps to protect Blues assets. Those who are not part of the plan for the Blues’ return to the Championship will at least command a fee.
It allows Blues to get their house in order and plan ahead of time. To demonstrate this point, manager Chris Davies and technical director Craig Gardner are already vetting players for the next two transfer windows.
There will be no more waiting for free agents to consider all of their alternatives before leaving Blues in the dust. Except for a few players, Davies’ squad is under contract until at least 2027.
The Jutkiewicz topic will be addressed in due course, but it must be approached with caution. With Jay Stansfield, Alfie May, and Lyndon Dykes available, Davies is unlikely to call in Jutkiewicz for League One games unless there is an injury crisis. The 35-year-old has played in four cup matches.
Jutkiewicz is in his tenth year with the Blues, a rare feat in today’s competition where players change teams every two or three years. Jutkiewicz made his 338th Blues appearance last week, against Shrewsbury Town.
Eliminating ambiguity is just as vital as preserving assets. Everyone values security, and the Blues have provided it for Anderson, Paik Seung-ho, and Ethan Laird, each of whom have signed contracts until 2028.
Anderson, a 29-year-old winger in his prime, will not become irritated in the New Year at the prospect of finding a new club. Regardless of how you look at it, it’s good business.
For the first time in a long time, the Blues have been able to act like great clubs. After a summer of transfer merry-go-rounds, the next few windows should be spent fine-tuning rather than altering the squad.
