Birmingham City linked with first Chris Davies transfer as striker makes admission

Birmingham City is reportedly eyeing midfielder Marc Leonard in a bid to bolster their squad under the leadership of Chris Davies. Leonard, who currently belongs to Brighton and Hove Albion, has gained valuable experience over the past two seasons while on loan at Northampton Town, participating in nearly 100 matches during this period. His contributions were instrumental in Northampton’s promotion from League Two and subsequent consolidation in League One last season.

Originally from Glasgow, Leonard began his football journey with Rangers as a youngster before transitioning to Hearts’ academy. However, he eventually found himself on the south coast with Brighton, where he has spent the last six years. Although he has yet to make an appearance in the Premier League, Leonard did feature in a couple of EFL Cup matches for Brighton during the 2021-22 season.

Most of Leonard’s playing time has come at Northampton, where he played a significant role in their third-place finish in League Two in 2023. Last season, he contributed to Northampton’s respectable 14th-place finish in League One, the same tier in which Birmingham City will compete next season. According to reports from The Sun, Leonard is attracting interest from Birmingham City, as well as fellow League One newcomers Wrexham, and could be acquired for a fee of around £300,000.

Birmingham City recently confirmed Chris Davies as their new manager, marking a significant move for the club. Davies, formerly a coach at Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou, has stepped into his first managerial role with Birmingham City.

In other news, former Birmingham City loanee Erik Huseklepp has expressed regrets about his time at the club. Huseklepp, who was loaned from Portsmouth in 2012 during Chris Hughton’s tenure, admits that he was disappointed with his performances in a Birmingham City shirt. Despite scoring twice during his loan spell, Huseklepp believes he would have performed better had he remained at Portsmouth. He cited a lack of rhythm and satisfaction with his performances at Birmingham compared to his time at Portsmouth, where he felt more at home.