Bowyer delivers midfielder update as Birmingham battle to reach agreement | OneFootball

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Football League World

·2 December 2021

Bowyer delivers midfielder update as Birmingham battle to reach agreement

Article image:Bowyer delivers midfielder update as Birmingham battle to reach agreement

Birmingham City boss Lee Bowyer has said that the Blues are doing all they can to try and keep Riley McGree for longer at the club than his original loan duration.

McGree joined the Blues from MLS side Charlotte and has done well so far this season, with him becoming a player that Bowyer clearly rates.


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Indeed, he is eager to try and keep the Australian in the West Midlands for longer than his original agreed loan spell, which comes to an end in a matter of a few weeks.

Speaking to the press ahead of the Blues’ clash with Millwall, Bowyer was quoted by Birmingham Live as saying:

“All I can tell you is what I have said before, Craig has been banging that drum, trying to make that happen – that Riley stays.

“I know Riley loves it here, he loves training, you see him every day with a smile on his face, he is learning every day and improving as a player.

“I believe he wants to stay, Craig is banging that drum but I think the contract is the contract. I don’t think there’s any way of turning that around.

“He is going out to America and he is one of their big name players from what I understand and I can’t see them changing their mind over there.

“They are watching from there, seeing how well he is doing and like ‘OK, can’t wait for him to be here’.

“We would be the same wouldn’t we? If we had a player playing somewhere we would be like ‘We are going to get him back in three weeks, four weeks – quickly hurry up, hopefully don’t get injured’.

“Then they have got him ready to go as well. He’s ready, he’s fit, he’s flying.

“But, hopefully for the time he is here, he keeps doing what he is doing and giving us everything he has got and maybe nick another goal or two before he leaves.”

The Verdict

He is clearly a player that Bowyer rates but having said that, it does seem as though there’s little the Blues can really do at the moment.

They’ll obviously be looking to find a resolution to the situation that benefits them but he is a Charlotte player and if they want to keep him around for the upcoming MLS campaign there’s not too much the Blues can really do.

We’ll soon see how this one pans out either way, anyway.

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