Birmingham City defender set for transfer exit to Scottish Premiership club | OneFootball

Scottish Premiership side Motherwell have agreed a deal for Birmingham City left-back Emmanuel Longelo.

Scottish Premiership side Motherwell have agreed a deal for Birmingham City left-back Emmanuel Longelo.

Motherwell, who recently finished eighth in the Scottish top-flight, are said to have agreed terms with the 24-year-old, as well as the details with the League One championship ahead of a transfer.

It begins a clearing of the decks for Chris Davies' side, who now have a big first-team squad on paper following a glut of transfer activity in the last week, with no fewer than six new faces arriving at St. Andrew's since the start of July - James Beadle and Tommy Doyle have completed loan moves to the club, whilst Bright Osayi-Samuel, Demarai Gray, Kanya Fujimoto and Kyogo Furuhashi have all signed permanently.

Motherwell set for Emmanuel Longelo deal

According to reports from transfer journalist Pete O'Rourke at Football Insider, Motherwell have agreed a deal to sign Longelo on a permanent deal this summer.

The 24-year-old left-back is heading north of the border to finalise the move, with a deal all but sealed after the West Ham United academy graduate fell out of favour in the Midlands.

He had worked through the ranks at the Hammers from under-10's level, before eventually making his first-team debut in an EFL Cup victory over Hull City back in 2020.

Longelo sealed a move to Birmingham, who were then in the Championship, during the 2022/23 season. In all, he played more than 100 times for the under-18s and under-21s at West Ham, recording 16 assists along the way.

His 45 appearances for the Blues have brought one goal and four assists, with a drop-off in game-time in his second season leading to a loan away from the club in 2024-25.

At Cambridge United, where Longelo spent last season, he struggled to imprint himself as a regular starter. Instead, the left-back was forced to settle for substitute opportunities and only started three League One games for the club.

His last start for the U's came in September against Lincoln City, with the prior games against Mansfield Town and Wycombe Wanderers, proving to be his only appearances in a Cambridge starting 11.

The defender's game-time was cut further still when Neil Harris returned to the club as manager. It was not enough to see Cambridge clear of relegation, as they finished 23rd and were dumped from Sky Bet League One some nine points off Burton Albion and safety - by that point though, Longelo was a peripheral figure at the Abbey Stadium.

Manny Longelo needs a career reset - Motherwell could provide him that platform

A chance to move away from Birmingham may be the spark Longelo needs to reignite his career, after three seasons of ever-decreasing outings.

Longelo had made to switch to the Second City for a reported fee of £400,000, but never truly hit the heights to cement a consistent starting position.

There was little chance Longelo could become a regular feature with Blues heading back into the Championship with a bank-rolled series of fresh additions bolstering the already impressive ranks at St. Andrew'.

So, a move away was the only way he could secure consistent football, while Birmingham can likely secure some level of fee for the player, who only has 12 months left on his current deal.

Motherwell concluded their 14th consecutive Scottish Premier League season with a mid-table finish and a run to the semi-finals of the League Cup in 2024-25.

The Well have since appointed former IFK Göteborg head coach Jens Berthel Askou as their manager for the upcoming season, with Longelo set to add to their defensive options.