Lukas Jutkiewicz and Scott Hogan of Birmingham City are expected to leave St. Andrew’s Stadium in the summer after many years with the club, and it appears that both are ready to go on.
Birmingham City have struggled in the Championship this season. After a strong start under John Eustace, the club was in the play-offs, but following his inexplicable dismissal, things began to unravel for the Blues, and their relegation to League One was confirmed on the final day of the Championship season.
Jutkiewicz and Hogan are two of several Blues players that have battled with form this season. After only four goals and three assists in the league, the pair were replaced in the starting lineup by Fulham striker Jay Stansfield on loan.
The 21-year-old’s form limited Jutkiewicz and Hogan’s minutes, and he received Player, Supporter, and Young Player of the Season accolades.
Players' Player of the Season 🏆 Young Player of the Season 🏆 Supporters' Player of the Season 🏆 Goal of the Season (Plymouth @ Home) 🏆 Top Goalscorer 🏆
The forward pair’s output in front of goal has been on the decline for several seasons. Hogan’s one league goal is his lowest tally since joining the club.
Both player’s contracts are set to expire in the summer and with little talk of an extension, it looks increasingly likely that they will move on.
Lukas Jutkiewicz has been an excellent servant to the Blues
Jutkiewicz joined the club on loan from Burnley in August 2016 and scored his debut goal the following month, a thrilling late header to secure a 2-1 comeback win over Sheffield Wednesday.
That was a hint of things to come for the 6’1″ striker, whose aerial talent inspired manager Gianfranco Zola to sign the then 27-year-old on a permanent basis for £1 million, according to The Lancashire Telegraph.
The Southampton-born forward’s greatest season in the second city came during the 2018/19 Championship season, when he scored 14 goals and assisted ten times. He was one of only four players to reach double digits in both categories that season.
Jutkiewicz received the Championship Player of the Month Award in October 2018 after scoring his maiden senior hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Rotherham United.
The statistics website WhoScored.com rated his season as the best of any player in the division, with an overall rating of 7.72. The Birmingham Mail also named him their player of the season.
The 35-year-old has appeared in 330 games for Birmingham, and his cameo off the bench in their final-day victory over Norwich City appears to be his last.
Scott Hogan rarely hit form in Birmingham
Hogan joined Birmingham on an initial loan from Aston Villa in January 2020, an unusual move between the fierce city rivals, before signing permanently eight months later.
He scored his first goal against Nottingham Forest, aided by new striking partner Jutkiewicz, and concluded his first eight games with seven goals and one assist. This was his strongest period of form while at the club.
Clever finish from Scott Hogan to give Birmingham City the lead against Reading 🇮🇪pic.twitter.com/MCeAMOUNAC
The former Ireland international’s most prolific seasons came in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 Championship seasons, when he scored 10 goals each, the only times he reached double digits in league goals throughout his four-and-a-half seasons at St. Andrew’s Stadium.
The striker was unable to deliver on the potential he demonstrated in the first half of the 2016/17 Championship season as a 24-year-old at Brentford, where he finished with 14 goals and one assist in 25 games.
Now is the right time for the duo to depart
Though fans may be disappointed to see Jutkiewicz leave, it appears that the two forwards’ departure is now appropriate.
The players may seek transfers farther down the Football League to restart their careers, like Birmingham-born striker Matt Smith did when he joined Salford City in 2022. This season, the 34-year-old scored a career-high 24 League Two goals.
Jutkiewicz and Hogan have combined for nearly 450 Birmingham games, but the 35- and 32-year-old strikers have been steadily declining as their careers come to a conclusion in Small Heath.
Both players have experienced great moments in a blue shirt, but it seems to be the right time for the pair to depart upon the expiry of their contracts in the summer.
