Birmingham City agree deal to sign 27-year-old star player

In order to acquire Phil Neumann’s services in 2025, Chris Davies’ team reexamined a move for the German center-back in January after he was linked to Birmingham City during the summer transfer window.

According to Football Insider, Birmingham placed a new bid for the Hannover 96 player during the winter transfer window. According to the report, Blues were preparing a better offer for Neumann after their summer deal of £3.4 million was turned down.

According to Mike McGrath of The Telegraph, a pre-contract has been reached to lock down Neumann as a free agent for the upcoming campaign. Since his contract with Hannover expires in the summer, the versatile defender can now talk about moving abroad in January.

According to Florian Plettenberg, a journalist for Sky Sports in Germany, they made an offer for the 27-year-old, who primarily plays center defender, in the summer of €4 million with possible add-ons. It appeared like a verbal agreement was already in place, but there were obstacles to overcome, and the relocation ultimately never happened.

Despite missing out, Blues effectively rebuilt their defence in League One to suit their new manager and acquired two new centre-backs. Austrian ace Christoph Klarer was the first they decided on before Ben Davies arrived on loan from Rangers at the end of the window to provide depth.

According to Plettenberg, there were rumors that Hertha Berlin was considering Neumann throughout the summer. They have landed him ahead of their rivals, though, and they might be able to persuade him with the fascinating idea that Birmingham has on offer in England.

“Centre-back had been highlighted as a key area for improvement” in January, according to Birmingham, despite their outstanding defensive record this season. If the Blues wanted to pursue a free transfer for the summer, they might have spoken with Neumann and his representatives during the January transfer window. Alternatively, he might have been available for a discounted price despite Hannover’s ambitious goals.

Copy of Untitled (87)

The 2. Bundesliga club were said to be ‘still not willing’ to sell Neumann and they later attempted to secure the defender to fresh terms until the summer of 2027. That looks to have failed but he is still a key player in this campaign for Stefan Leitl’s side, who currently sit seventh in the table and defensive solidity has been key to their success thus far, sitting just four points off top spot in the 2. Bundesliga. They have conceded the fewest goals in the division at the halfway stage.

For Birmingham, they are landing a player that has just recently started to enter his peak. He has played nearly the entirety of his career in the German second tier and could prove to be an invaluable member of Davies’ squad with his consistency and perhaps surprising calmness with the ball at his feet.

He is among the best central defenders in Germany’s second tier, with his speed making him capable of operating as a high-line defender. Having been deployed as both a centre-back and a right-back, Neumann is also adept in either a back three or back four, be that as a central player or a more traditional right-back or outside centre-back.

MixCollage-06-Jan-2025-03-03-PM-752

Although Neumann’s versatility should help the Blues, his ability to play the ball is what makes him unique. In addition to being able to break lines while in possession, Neumann is also eager to join the assault. One of the main aspects of his and Hannover’s game is their faith in him to sneak into midfield areas and take the ball under pressure.

Given the doubts surrounding Dion Sanderson’s mid- to long-term future at St. Andrew’s and Ben Davies’ unclear long-term future at the club as a loan player, it is extremely critical to secure his services. For a team that might play Championship football the following season, it is an obvious choice to sign a free agent.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*