"Really excited" - Birmingham City view after latest Marc Leonard twist | OneFootball

Birmingham fan pundit reacts to Marc Leonard development

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Birmingham City are nearing a permanent deal for Brighton midfielder Marc Leonard, who enjoyed a successful loan spell in League One last season with Northampton Town, according to Birmingham World.

The report states that third tier newcomers Wrexham and Plymouth Argyle, managed by former Blues boss Wayne Rooney, are also interested in Leonard, but the St Andrew's side are leading the way in this transfer battle.

As the Blues close in on landing Leonard, Football League World's Birmingham fan pundit, Mike, said: "It will be a massive coup if we get him over the line.

"I think he's absolutely a statement of intent from Birmingham.

"This is one that I'm really excited about, having seen him play a little bit, and what I think he brings to the team.

"I think he'll be absolutely excellent.

"He did well in a Northampton team.

"If you put him around even better players in that league, I think he could be a bit of a world-beater at that level, and then it'll be interesting to see whether he can sort of kick on if we do get promoted, and do the same again in the Championship."

During a loan spell with Northampton in League One last season, Leonard scored five goals and provided six assists from a central midfield role in his first season at third tier level for a side who finished 14th in the table.

This was not only an impressive return from the 22-year-old, but also a clear demonstration of the improvement he has made as a player in recent years, as during the 2022/23 season, which he also spent on loan with the Cobblers, the midfielder managed a tally of just one goal and one assist in League Two.

Despite moving up a division, Leonard was able to dramatically improve his goal productivity, which demonstrates how quickly he is developing his game.

This is an exciting prospect for the Blues, as the Scotland youth international could prove to be a very dangerous asset when surrounded by some of the highest quality players in League One.

Chris Davies' men have lofty ambitions of winning the third tier title and earning automatic promotion, while Leonard could prove to be exactly the sort of talent they need in order to achieve such goals.

Leonard's goals and assists last campaign may have rightfully caught the eye, but he also impressed in other areas as he made 2,413 passes in League One, including 177 accurate long balls, while maintaining a solid pass accuracy of 81.6%, according to FotMob.

The ace also created 68 chances for the Cobblers, and that sort of strong service will be music to the ears of the likes of Blues winger Siriki Dembele, who is a very dangerous player at third tier level.