Birmingham City could offer departing Burnley player full-circle Premier League moment.

Former England international winger Nathan Redmond has been released by Burnley, raising the prospect of a romantic return to Birmingham City, where he could help the Blues push for a return to the Premier League next season.

Redmond, who earned his only England cap in 2017 in a 1-0 loss to Germany at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, signed a two-year contract with the Clarets in the summer of 2023 but only made 12 appearances for the club as they were relegated.

Now, after being a fringe player for Scott Parker’s side as they finished as Championship runners-up this season, the 31-year-old winger is a free agent, and a return to St Andrew’s would undoubtedly benefit both parties.

Birmingham’s summer transfer window aims to build a squad capable of challenging for a return to the Premier League, and Redmond appears to be a smart, romantic, and cost-effective addition.

Redmond did not fulfil his Premier League dream with Birmingham.

Redmond signed his first professional contract in the summer of 2010, but did not play in the league during the 2010/11 season, as the Blues were relegated.

He made three appearances for the second city club, one in the FA Cup and two in the League Cup, which they eventually won after defeating Arsenal in the final at Wembley Stadium.

Born and raised in Birmingham, he joined the club at the age of eight in 2002. Playing in the Premier League with his hometown club would fulfil a romantic narrative for him and the ambitious League One winners.

 

Redmond would fit well into the Birmingham squad.

Birmingham spent heavily last summer to rebuild after relegation from the Championship. They won the third-tier title with a record-breaking 111 points, surpassing Reading’s previous EFL record of 106 points set in 2005/06.

Chris Davies plays a possession-based style of football that requires a lot of work from his wingers, both with and without the ball, but it is one area of the pitch where Birmingham will look to improve this summer.

Football League World exclusively revealed that Fulham were willing to offer Peterborough United winger Kwame Poku a £30,000 per week deal. The club may lack out-wide players, with Luke Harris returning to Fulham after his loan spell at St Andrew’s and Emil Hansson and Scott Wright not thriving after their moves from Heracles and Rangers, respectively, last summer.

Redmond would not only add experience to a young squad, but he would also undoubtedly contribute much-needed Championship-level quality in the final third. Around Christmas, it was reported that Birmingham was interested in signing Redmond in January 2025.

Birmingham’s squad has an unknown ceiling, but some players, most notably club record signing Jay Stansfield, believe they will one day be Premier League ready.

However, as they make the transition to the Championship, they will want to strengthen their squad and raise the bar of their performance – and Redmond would help with that.

There is, of course, the romantic element of Redmond, who has never played in the Premier League for his hometown club, returning to help them return to the top flight for the first time in well over a decade, but the Blues would also be making a practical and wise move.

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