Wayne Rooney eyeing Derby County defender puts this Birmingham City player in jeopardy: Opinion | OneFootball

Highlights

Birmingham City announced the appointment of Wayne Rooney as their new manager on Wednesday morning.

The appointment has definitely split the fanbase of the Blues, as many are disappointed with the exit of John Eustace, while some are unsure about the calibre of the replacement.

However, the decision has now been made, and for the foreseeable future, Rooney is going to be Birmingham’s manager.

There has already been speculation regarding what is going to happen in the January transfer window as Rooney eyes arrivals.

It has been suggested that Rooney is going to be heavily backed by the new owners in the upcoming transfer window and the former Derby County manager is eyeing a reunion with four of his former players.

One of those players he is said to be admiring and looking to reunite at Birmingham with is defender Eiran Cashin.

As mentioned, Rooney is eyeing four Derby players in January, as stated in this report, and one of those players is Cashin.

Cashin will fondly remember his time under Rooney, as it was the former England captain who gave the defender his senior debut in 2021.

The 21-year-old hasn’t looked back and has become a firm fixture in the Derby team in the last couple of seasons.

His performances have been so good that Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion tried to sign the player on several occasions.

Derby are said to have placed a £4 million price tag on the defender, but the defender’s contract runs out at the end of this season, and it may be that a cheaper price is agreed.

But, for Birmingham to bring in Cashin, it means that he is going to be a regular in the team, and therefore, that means a current Birmingham player is going to miss out, and that could be Kevin Long.

As mentioned, Cashin isn’t going to join Birmingham without some reassurances, as it would be silly to leave Derby midway through the season and not play many more games.

Plus, it is likely that if Rooney wants this player, it is because he wants to improve his defence and sees Cashin as a regular starter.

So, when you look at Birmingham’s two main options so far this season, you would probably expect Rooney to keep Dion Sanderson in his team, as the 23-year-old is a promising, exciting defender who joined the club this summer.

So, that means it is likely that fellow defender Kevin Long is going to lose his place in the starting XI, and that may be considered harsh, as he’s been part of a solid defence.

Long has played in all 11 Championship games so far, and during that time, he has averaged 1.1 tackles per game, as well as 0.5 interceptions, 0.6 blocks, and an impressive 5.9 clearances, as per WhoScored.com.

The defender has also shown he is comfortable with the ball at his feet, something that may be useful to Rooney’s team. He has averaged 40.1 passes per game, with 82.1% successful and 0.1 being key passes.

Obviously, every manager has their own ideas and how they want to play, but it seems that it could be harsh for Long to lose his place in the team. But if Cashin does come in during the January transfer window, you would have to say that the 33-year-old’s place in the squad is in jeopardy.