Jack Colback is now a free agent and weighing his options up following his exit from the City Ground
Despite many Championship clubs this summer opting to splash the cash more than they have done in recent years, there are still bargains to be had on the market when it comes to players without clubs.
The window for free agents has been as good as it perhaps ever has been for second tier sides, and there are still some players out there that can make a difference in the Championship that are waiting to be picked up.
One of those is Jack Colback, who has recently left Nottingham Forest upon the expiry of his contract at the City Ground after three years at the club as a permanent player.
The 33-year-old is seeking a new home however in the latter stages of his career, and according to a report from Alan Nixon on Patreon, three second tier clubs are looking into the possibility of landing his services.
Birmingham City, his former loan club Ipswich Town and West Bromwich Albion are all thought to have expressed their interest in signing the experienced left-footed midfielder, who is now set to make a decision on his future?
Who is Jack Colback?
Colback is well-known to most Championship fans as he has played a lot of his career at that level, as well as the Premier League.
The tenacious midfielder came through the Sunderland academy but made his professional debut in a loan spell with Ipswich Town in August 2009 as a 19-year-old, spending most of the season at the Tractor Boys before returning to the Black Cats to make his debut there in May 2010.
Colback featured in 114 Premier League matches for the Wearsiders in his career but in 2014 he made a controversial move to their bitter rivals Newcastle United – his boyhood club – on a free transfer.
Playing regularly for the Magpies for around three seasons, Colback then fell out of favour and joined Nottingham Forest on loan in January 2018, where he spent a season and a half as a regular feature before heading back to Tyneside as a permanent deal could not be reached.
Colback re-joined Forest permanently in 2020 after a year in the shadows and played a big part in their promotion to the Premier League in 2021-22, featuring in a holding midfield role but also at left wing-back when Max Lowe suffered an injury.
He was used sparingly however in the Premier League in 2022-23 as Steve Cooper replenished his options in the engine room, appearing just 11 times before his contract came to an end.
Where would Jack Colback fit in at Birmingham City, Ipswich Town and West Bromwich Albion?
Providing that Colback will be used as a defensive midfielder and not a wing-back like he was at Forest for the latter stages of their promotion campaign, then there’s perhaps a role for him at all three clubs.
Birmingham have added Krystian Bielik on a permanent basis but lost Hannibal back to Man United, and with the future of Ivan Sunjic uncertain, there could be scope for a more experienced body to be added to John Eustace’s side.
Colback could also be a good mentor to the likes of Jordan James and George Hall – more advanced midfielders who plan on making a big impact at City.
Ipswich are probably the most stacked out of anyone in midfield, but if Saudi Arabian interest in Sam Morsy becomes more concrete then the Tractor Boys will need to replace him with someone of similar experience.
And with West Brom happy to get rid of Nathaniel Chalobah this summer, there could be a space for Colback at The Hawthorns too as a backup or rotational option to the likes of Okay Yokuslu and Jayson Molumby.
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