£3m Birmingham City deal with Brentford was worth every penny: View | OneFootball

It has been an incredibly disappointing season for Birmingham City in the Championship.

The Blues made the controversial decision to replace John Eustace with Wayne Rooney in October, despite sitting sixth in the table at the time, and it is fair to say the move did not work out.

Rooney was dismissed in January after winning just two of his 15 games in charge, and his successor, Tony Mowbray, made a strong start to life at St Andrew's, but he stepped down temporarily due to health reasons in February.

Mark Venus initially took caretaker charge in Mowbray's absence, but after a poor run of results, Birmingham brought former manager Gary Rowett back as interim head coach, and he has been tasked with keeping the club in the division.

It is not the first time the Blues have faced a relegation battle in recent years, but this time, they have been unable to call upon the services of defender Maxime Colin, who left the club in the summer.

Colin spent six years with Birmingham after joining from Brentford in 2017, and he established himself as a firm fan favourite during his time in the Midlands.

£3 million Maxime Colin deal was a big success for Birmingham City

Colin arrived at Birmingham from Brentford in August 2017 for a fee of £3 million, and he was one of three Bees players to make the move to St Andrew's that summer, along with Harlee Dean and Jota.

After Harry Redknapp guided the club to survival on the final day of the previous season, there was hope that the Blues could progress under the veteran manager following a strong summer of transfer business, but it did not work out that way.

Redknapp was sacked in September after a slow start to the season, and the spending during his tenure would later land the club in Financial Fair Play trouble, but Birmingham supporters will be thankful to him for the signing of Colin.

Colin would go on to score seven goals and provide 18 assists in 253 appearances for the Blues, and he remained the club's first choice right-back under a host of managers, including Redknapp, Steve Cotterill, Garry Monk, Pep Clotet, Lee Bowyer and Eustace.

Birmingham may have struggled throughout Colin's time at the club, and the 32-year-old did not achieve a finish higher than 17th with the Blues, but he was a consistent and reliable performer who played a crucial role in keeping the club in the Championship on a number of occasions.

Colin left St Andrew's at the end of his contract in the summer, but it appears that was against the wishes of former manager Eustace, who revealed that he was keen for the Frenchman to stay.

"He has been a magnificent player for us this season and over the years at Birmingham City," Eustace told Birmingham Live last April.

"To reach 250 appearances is a fantastic achievement. He’s a true professional, he is a gentleman on and off the pitch, we have been really fortunate to have him at Birmingham over the course of the years.

"I would love him to stay, I am sure everyone would, I am sure that’s a decision he will have to make. From a professional point of view he has been different class. You can see his performances have been eight out of ten every week, he never lets you down and we could have done with a few more like him."

Birmingham supporters certainly took Colin into their hearts, and it appears that affection was mutual, with the defender posting an emotional message on social media after his departure was confirmed.

Colin returned to his native France when he put pen-to-paper on a two-year contract with Metz in July, and he has been a regular for Laszlo Boloni's side this season.

It has been a tough campaign for Metz in their first season back in Ligue 1, but as he so often did at Birmingham, Colin will be looking to help them to safety over the coming weeks.

Birmingham are well-stocked at right-back currently with both Ethan Laird and Cody Drameh at the club, but you wonder whether having a player of Colin's experience in the dressing room would have been beneficial during what has been a turbulent season.