Football League World
·24 July 2024
Rangers update comes as bad news for Birmingham City and good for Sheffield Wednesday: View
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·24 July 2024
Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday will have contrasting emotions about the latest developments at Rangers.
Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday have been among the busiest clubs in the EFL so far this summer.
Birmingham are preparing for life back in League One after their relegation from the Championship last season, but they will be targeting an immediate return to the second tier.
It was reported that the ambitious Blues have given new manager Chris Davies a £20 million budget, and they have certainly not been afraid to spend this summer, with Ryan Allsop, Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Alex Cochrane, Christoph Klarer, Willum Thor Willumsson, Emil Hansson and Alfie May all arriving at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.
It seemed that Wednesday were destined to make an immediate return to League One after a disastrous start to last season under Xisco Munoz, but they achieved safety after a remarkable turnaround under Danny Rohl.
Rohl signed a new long-term contract at Hillsborough in May, and the German has brought in nine new signings so far this summer, with James Beadle, Ben Hamer, Max Lowe, Yan Valery, Svante Ingelsson, Nathaniel Chalobah, Olaf Kobacki, Jamal Lowe and Charlie McNeill making the move to South Yorkshire.
There are likely to be plenty more new additions to come for Birmingham and Wednesday before the closure of the transfer window, and both clubs will be intrigued by the latest transfer developments at Rangers.
Football Insider claimed earlier this summer that Birmingham were leading clubs from Saudi Arabia in the race to sign Rangers defender Connor Goldson.
Goldson has been a fantastic servant, making 309 appearances since joining the Gers from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer of 2018, but the club are said to be willing to cash in on the 31-year-old to help provide funds for new signings.
The Blues reportedly "discussed a contract proposal" with Goldson's representatives, but they could be set for disappointment as, according to TEAMtalk, he flew out to Cyprus on Monday morning ahead of a potential move to the Cypriot Premier League.
However, there was more positive news for Wednesday, with the same report stating that winger Scott Wright is "likely to leave" Ibrox this summer.
The Owls are believed to have "held provisional talks with Wright’s agents", but they are "yet to make an official bid" for the 26-year-old, who has been an important player for Rangers since arriving at the club from Aberdeen in February 2021.
While Wednesday will be encouraged by the latest update on Wright's future, he is also on the radar of fellow Championship sides Preston North End and Derby County and clubs from overseas, so there is no guarantee they will be able to get a deal over the line.
Given the crucial role he has played for Rangers over the last six years, Goldson would have been an excellent signing for Birmingham, and they will be hugely disappointed to miss out on him.
Goldson was an integral part of the Gers' Scottish Premiership title-winning squad in the 2020-21 season, while he has regularly featured for the club in the Champions League and Europa League.
The defender made 48 appearances in all competitions last season, showing that he is highly regarded by manager Philippe Clement, and it would have been a big coup for the Blues to convince him to drop down to League One.
However, Birmingham have signed one centre-back this summer in Klarer, adding to their existing options of Dion Sanderson and Krystian Bielik, and the club have the financial resources to strengthen further.
Wednesday have brought in one winger so far in Kobacki, and Lowe is also capable of playing out wide, but it seems that it is an area that Rohl is still looking to bolster.
With Sunderland attempting to hijack the Owls' move to sign ex-Leeds United winger Ian Poveda on a permanent basis after his successful loan spell, and competition from Derby, Portsmouth and Bolton Wanderers for Brest's Karamoko Dembele, they may need to turn their attention to Wright.
Of course, Wright is also attracting attention from other clubs, but Wednesday have been linked with the Scotsman for a number of weeks now, and if they are showing the strongest interest, it could give them an advantage in the race.
With Rangers needing to sell this summer amid financial constraints, Goldson and Wright are both set to move on, but at this point, only the latter looks likely to be heading south of the border.