Craig Gardner’s future at Birmingham City is updated ahead of a significant appointment

Despite Mike Rigg joining the team in January, Craig Gardner, the technical director for Birmingham City, is anticipated to stay at St Andrew’s, as reported by Football Insider.

The same source had earlier identified Rigg as Gardner’s replacement; also, with John Eustace departing around the time this news was published, the former midfield player might have been worried about his job security.

Even though he had the entire summer to brand the team and make improvements, owner Tom Wagner appears eager to make behind-the-scenes adjustments in the middle of the season.

That being said, technical director Gardner will be heavily involved in the recruitment process, so it makes sense to replace him now rather than later. Wagner’s takeover was only completed halfway through the summer window, and with that in mind, it would have been very risky to make changes, especially in the recruitment department when Blues had spent time preparing a plan for the business they were going to conduct.

What’s new with Craig Gardner’s future at Birmingham City?

It would not have been shocking to bring in a new technical director ahead of the January transfer window, since both Wagner and the board wanted to see incoming manager Wayne Rooney introduce a ‘no fear’ brand of football.

Gardner appears destined to stay in his current position for the foreseeable future, even though a new technical director might be more qualified to find the players required for this new style of play.

Rigg is expected to take over as a major role in the club’s academy, which has recently produced some outstanding players including the Bellingham brothers, George Hall, and Jordan James, rather than taking Gardner’s place.

The former Manchester City player, who is currently with Saudi team Al-Jazira, is scheduled to make his debut at St Andrew’s in January.

As part of a gradual transition, the same Football Insider article also said that he will eventually assist in finding first team signings.

Gardner appears likely to keep his position for the time being, though it is unclear what that means for him in the long run.

Are Birmingham City right to retain Craig Gardner?

Birmingham has added some top-notch players in the last few years, and the Blues have done a good job of utilizing the loan market when they didn’t have much money to spend.

Gardner will have contributed to it, and when additional funding became available in the summer, he also did a good job of recruiting.

In the future, some of these players might fetch considerably higher prices, and players like Oliver Burke, Emanuel Aiwu, and Cody Drameh might end up becoming permanent members of the team.

Gardner has undoubtedly considered the long term during the prior window in addition to the short term.

Additionally, he has performed admirably enough in the background to keep his position at the Midlands club.