Birmingham City should be fighting to keep these three players in League One.
Each panelist on the Keep Right On Podcast chooses a player they want to see stay in League One with Birmingham City.
Talks are taking on behind the scenes, and Birmingham City is still processing its relegation to League One. Several players who are under contract could be traded this summer in addition to the eight players whose futures are uncertain and who are not under contract.
After a season in which expectations were not fulfilled, the Blues will make some of those decisions, but players who are hesitant to play in League One will make others. The third division of English football is probably not good enough for selection, and the Blues have a number of players with international careers to safeguard.
In a perfect world, though, the Blues would be able to hold onto their top players. Ultimately, a large number of individuals who signed last summer did so with long-term commitments that cannot be easily broken.
During the’relegation post-mortem’ episode of the Keep Right On Podcast, Ben Hawker, Brian Dick, and Alex Dicken each mentioned a player they would like to see stay at St Andrew’s this summer. View their choices down below.
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Brian Dick
“I don’t think Paik Seung-ho will be here next season, but he is undoubtedly the closest the Blues have to a technical, adequately physically built, and mobile central midfielder who serves as the team’s pivot. The player I would most want to see starting in the season’s opening away game against Stockport in August is Paik!
Dicken, Alex
“I would also hold onto Paik. Krystian Bielik is one of the two that remain for me. He won’t likely be interested in playing in League One for a season. I am aware that he was approached by other Championship clubs and foreign teams last summer, and he declined to play for Derby County in League One because he believed it would reduce his chances of being selected for the Poland national team.
“The Blues have the upper hand because he still has two years left on his contract, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he decided to pull out. In the games he has started at center back this season, Bielik has likely been the team’s most reliable player. He is capable of playing in that position. This season, he’s been the top holding midfielder and one of the finest midfielders overall. He’s also been the best center-back. If Blues could persuade him to participate in League One, even if it’s just for a season, that would be a huge victory.
Ben Hawkes
“Those two feel very hard to hold on to, and they would definitely be on my list.” At left back, Lee Buchanan is the player I’ll pick. He’s been quite reliable this season, in my opinion, and he has occasionally filled in at center-half without appearing to be completely out of place. Blues signed a five-year contract, so they have all the cards.
“I don’t believe the club is in a situation where we need to offload players in order to make ends meet financially. The decision of whether or not these guys wish to stay rests with the club. There must be a question like, “Are you in on the journey with us in League One or are you out?” pretty soon. Should they not be, the club has the ability to arrange for these players to be let go, either temporarily or permanently. The worst case scenario would be if certain players left in August and the Blues had to scramble to find players of that caliber. You want these decisions resolved or underway as soon as possible this summer.
