If Scott Hogan does leave, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a rebuild in particular department at St Andrew’s.
According to yesterday’s Patreon post from Alan Nixon, Birmingham City may need to shed some of its high-earners before getting busy in the transfer market.
One of those players is Neil Etheridge, and Blues may be eager to get him off the payroll as soon as possible given that he only serves as John Ruddy’s backup these days.
The Philippines international is unquestionably a quality goalkeeper at this level, but he isn’t currently offering good value for the money because he isn’t getting the chance to start much.
Ivan Sunjic is another reported high-earner – and it remains to be seen whether he extends his stay at St Andrew’s after becoming an important part of the team this season after spending last term out on loan.
And Scott Hogan is another player who is earning a decent amount in the Midlands, but his contract runs out in 2024 along with Etheridge and Sunjic.
With their sizeable salaries in mind, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see all three players depart either in January or on the expiration of their contracts next summer.
Owner Tom Wagner and the new regime will want to ensure they can continue to trade freely in the transfer market by adhering to financial rules and they will give themselves a good chance of doing this by offloading high earners.
Should Scott Hogan be offloaded by Birmingham City?
Hogan has been a fine servant to the Midlands side and even though he has divided opinion at times, he can count his time at St Andrew’s as a reasonably successful one.
It’s been difficult for the Republic of Ireland international because he has been at the club during a difficult period for them, but 36 goals in 141 competitive appearances isn’t a terrible record.
In saying that, he has only managed to get himself on the scoresheet once in 12 league appearances this term and this is an underwhelming record considering Blues have been quite successful so far this season.
With this in mind, the fact he’s 31 and his reportedly high wage, it may be a wise decision if Blues sold him in January, rather than lose him for free.
But if he isn’t sold in January, Blues may have to let him go for nothing at the end of this term if they want to make room for others to come in.
Could Scott Hogan’s potential departure spark major transfer activity?
Looking at their forward department currently, they will probably need some striker additions next summer regardless of whether Hogan stays or goes.
However, his potential departure could allow Birmingham to rebuild this department with his salary off the wage bill.
Tyler Roberts, Siriki Dembele and Oliver Burke can all operate up top, but all three could operate in different positions – and promising youngster Junior Dixon may need more time with the academy or out on loan to develop further before becoming an integral part of Wayne Rooney’s plans.
Additionally, Sam Cosgrove’s performance while on loan at Barnsley hasn’t been sufficient to indicate that he will play a significant role in the Blues’ first team come next season.
Given the health of their forward department and Wagner and his team’s demonstrated willingness to spend in the transfer market, it wouldn’t be unexpected to see a significant influx of forwards if or when Hogan departs.
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