Birmingham should reignite their interest in Callum Burton as a bold move for Rangers’ Jack Butland looks unlikely.
Even though the schedule has been very challenging, many have justifiably questioned the choice to fire John Eustace and replace him with the England great after the team managed just one point in five games.
However, the Blues management is certain that this is the best course of action, so they will now need to back Rooney as he tries to establish himself on the squad.
There have already been some speculations about potential hires, and Jack Butland has been brought up before.
A move appears improbable, though, given the former Blues custodian only joined Rangers in the summer and has already established himself as an important member of the team at Ibrox.
However, the fact that Butland became a target indicates that Rooney wants a new number one, and many people will share this opinion.
John Ruddy is 37 years old today, so he’s definitely past his prime even though he’s a pretty dependable performer and a nice guy overall. Even though he is by no means their only problem, he hasn’t been outstanding under Rooney either and didn’t exactly shine in the most recent defeat at Sunderland.
Callum Burton of Plymouth might be given some thought if Birmingham is looking to add a new number one.
Given that Burton has never played above League One level and isn’t Home Park’s first pick, he wouldn’t seem like the most thrilling addition on paper.
But, Burton stepped up last season in Michael Cooper’s absence, and he was excellent, helping the Pilgrims at a critical period as they won promotion, with many of their key wins during the run-in down to the fact they kept clean sheets.
| Birmingham City – 2023/24 Signings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Signed From | Loan/Permanent |
| Dion Sanderson | Wolves | Permanent |
| Lee Buchanan | Werder Bremen | Permanent |
| Ethan Laird | Man United | Permanent |
| Krystian Bielik | Derby County | Permanent |
| Tyler Roberts | Leeds United | Permanent |
| Koji Miyoshi | Royal Antwerp | Permanent |
| Keshi Anderson | Blackpool | Permanent |
| Cody Drameh | Leeds United | Loan |
| Emanuel Aiwu | Cremonese | Loan |
| Oli Burke | Werder Bremen | Loan |
| Jay Stansfield | Fulham | Loan |
| Siriki Dembele | AFC Bournemouth | Permanent |
The summer brought interest in Burton from Swansea and the Blues, but the goalie decided to stay at Plymouth.
However, Cooper is back in goal, and because Burton’s deal expires in the summer, a change appears to be in order.
Due in part to FFP difficulties, Birmingham isn’t likely to spend heavily in January despite St. Andrew’s having well-known owners. Besides, January is known to be a challenging month.
That implies that they might be searching for deals, and Burton will suit that description as his contract will allow him to be had for a low price.
Although you can understand the opinion of those who believe Burton isn’t an improvement over Ruddy, the truth is that he hasn’t had many opportunities, and Cooper’s strong play at Plymouth has kept him from demonstrating his abilities this season.
However, Burton was on Birmingham’s radar during the summer, indicating that they believe he can move up, and anyone who saw him play last season would concur.
Because of the ownership and Rooney, there may be an expectation of high-profile acquisitions at Blues, but they need to exercise caution as they try to assemble a team that can challenge for promotion in the future.
Therefore, even though Cooper might not be the most visually appealing acquisition, he might be just what they need as they begin to assemble the necessary pieces to advance under the new leader.
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