The 6 Birmingham City players who surely want to escape St Andrew's from June | OneFootball

FLW looks at a list of players who could look to end their stints at Blues this summer

Birmingham City are on course for an immediate return to the Championship, as they sit top of League One during the international break.

Much has been made of the investment which has been behind Chris Davies' side, as Blues hit an unprecedented level of spending, mainly in the summer, to mould the current squad together amid a high amount of player turnover at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

The spotlight and subsequent pressure has remained on the West Midlands outfit throughout the campaign, especially after breaking the club and third-tier record to acquire Jay Stansfield on a seven-year contract from Fulham, with the England Under-21 international's tally currently standing at 20 goals across all competitions for the season.

Plenty of discourse has already been generated when it comes to Blues' recruitment this summer, although the club have already begun preparations on this front with the pre-contract signing of Phil Neumann from Hannover 96, whilst it has also been confirmed that Taylor Gardner-Hickman and Alfons Sampsted's initial loan deals will officially turn permanent at the conclusion of the season.

However, there will be some players who Davies is likely to have important conversations with in the coming weeks and months regarding their immediate and long-term futures, and FLW have picked out those within the squad who could leave B9 in the off-season.

Krystian Bielik

Krystian Bielik was made club captain ahead of Birmingham's first stint at this level in 30 years, whilst also penning a contract until 2027.

However, this season hasn't always been rosey for the versatile performer, despite starting the campaign in fine fashion at the heart of defence alongside Christoph Klarer, who has been a revelation since joining from SV Darmstadt.

The Arsenal academy graduate also filled the void left by Ethan Laird at right-back during the hectic Christmas schedule, but has found gametime hard to come by since the turn of the year, starting just two games in all competitions since the 1-1 draw with Stockport County on New Year's Day.

Davies has placed on record that the 11-time international still has a big role to play at St Andrew's, but with Stoke City previously monitoring the 27-year-old's services in January, as well as the aforementioned forward-planning when it comes to players who feature in the positions Bielik has predominantly featured in this season, the experienced figure could look to move on.

Lukas Jutkiewicz

Lukas Jutkiewicz is the epitome of a modern-day cult hero in B9, having donned the Royal Blue on 351 occasions after joining from Burnley in 2016 in an initial loan move, which was eventually turned permanent for £1m.

The 35-year-old has seen it all at St Andrew's, and only endeared himself further to the hearts of Bluenoses after penning a one-year contract extension in the off-season following relegation.

However, as a result of the firepower at Davies' disposal in the form of Stansfield, Alfie May and Lyndon Dykes, 'Juke', as he is so often known as, has made just five starts across all competitions this season - none of which have come in the league.

Despite being the constant link between old times in B9 and the current regime of Knighthead, it seems highly likely that the former Middlesbrough forward will hang his boots up at the end of the season, although many supporters would surely like him to stick around in a coaching capacity given his efforts.

Tyler Roberts

Tyler Roberts' career hasn't exactly gone to plan in recent seasons, although there was initial hope that the former Leeds United man could enjoy a resurrection of sorts back in the West Midlands, having risen through the ranks at local rivals, West Bromwich Albion.

The Welsh international agreed a four-year contract with Blues in August 2023, but failed to have the envisaged impact amid further injury issues and a mass number of changes in the dugout during a hectic relegation season.

However, after joining fellow League One side Northampton Town on loan, it has been an all-too-familiar story for the 26-year-old, suffering a calf issue which he has only recently recovered from.

The Gloucester-born attacker netted his first goal since January 2023 in a 2-1 success over Leyton Orient. But, given his struggles at Sixfields and Blues' attacking prowess, it's hard to see Roberts' immediate future lie in the Second City.

Dion Sanderson

Dion Sanderson was initially a big hit with Blues supporters after a strong second loan stint with the club from Wolves in 2022/23, before moving across the West Midlands for a reported £2m in John Eustace's final transfer window.

The centre-back continued to be a mainstay in the side despite a plethora of managerial changes and Blues' overall defensive woes which saw them ship 65 goals.

However, being stripped of the captaincy in the final weeks of the club's unsuccessful relegation fight did little to help matters, although the 25-year-old would play a full 90 minutes on the opening day of the season against Reading.

Sanderson was then reduced to EFL Cup, FA Cup and EFL Trophy appearances before coming in for criticism in November as the defender played a role in Mitch Pinnock's last-gasp equaliser for Northampton Town in B9.

He would then briefly reunite with Eustace for a brief period after Blues struck a loan deal with Championship side, Blackburn Rovers, where he has since endured a mixed run of starts and substitute appearances amid controversial circumstances as Eustace would leave for Derby County and be replaced by Valerien Ismael.

Therefore, Sanderson's immediate future is in jeopardy on two counts, as it remains to be seen whether he will stay at Ewood Park next year, whilst Blues' addition of Neumann heading into the new season would only see him fall further down the pecking order.

Emmanuel Longelo

After also initially impressing on loan from West Ham United, left-back Emmanuel Longelo would agree a three-and-a-half year contract at St Andrew's in the winter of 2023.

However, circumstances have meant that the defender's permanent stint in B9 also hasn't gone to plan, despite making 45 appearances for Blues in total thus far.

After being a regular fixture in the side at the beginning of last season regardless of Lee Buchanan's arrival, Longelo failed to feature in the Championship after Wayne Rooney's final game in charge - a 3-0 defeat against Leeds United, before it was revealed by Chris Davies - amid interest from Barnsley - that he hoped the 24-year-old's immediate future would be resolved.

The London-born defender is currently out on loan with relegation-threatened Cambridge United, but has also only made a handful of starts in all competitions amid injury-related issues.

Despite being under contract in B9 until next summer, it would take an extraordinary turn of events for Longelo to oust the likes of Alex Cochrane, Buchanan and current short-term addition, Lee Myung-Jae.

Alfie Chang

Alfie Chang was among those to rise through the ranks and into the first-team during Eustace's first season in charge, making 17 appearances across all competitions in a breakthrough season.

After continuing his involvement in the first-team picture following Knighthead's takeover in the summer of 2023, Chang would be hit by a major blow, as a significant ACL injury ended his campaign, although he would subsequently sign a new deal, keeping him at St Andrew's until 2026, highlighting the ceiling which Blues believe he could reach.

Davies was also quick to praise the midfielder's mentality in his recovery programme, and was rewarded with his first appearance since August 2023 with an 18-minute cameo against Lincoln City in the FA Cup Third Round.

Chang would then join fellow Blues prospect, George Hall, on loan at League Two leaders Walsall, but the 22-year-old hasn't been able to aid the Saddlers' promotion charge, being named as a substitute on one occasion against Carlisle United.

Despite how much Chang's recovery has to be commended, on return to St Andrew's, the central midfielder will find himself competing with mainstays and high-value players such as Seung-Ho Paik, Tomoki Iwata and Marc Leonard, which could mean that Blues look to make some form of profit on an academy graduate with just 12 months left on his contract.