There is sometimes value to be had from signing players from clubs relegated from the Championship.
Two years ago, Birmingham City lost Jordan James to Rennes, and the Welsh midfielder was among the best players in the division on loan at Leicester City this term, albeit a second relegation has now been added to his CV.
Coventry City snared Jack Rudoni from Huddersfield in the same summer, and that deal has paid off spectacularly for the Premier League-bound Sky Blues.
Derby County picked up Carlton Morris from Luton Town last year, and the striker scored 12 goals in 31 Championship games.
Clubs with cash at the hip, such as Blues, are in a position to cherry-pick players from the likes of Sheffield Wednesday, Oxford United, and Leicester. But who is worth looking at?
Sheffield Wednesday
The standout talent in Wednesday's ranks is 20-year-old goalkeeper Pierce Charles, who dislodged former Owls and Blues loanee James Beadle towards the end of the 2024/25 season. Charles is an outstanding distributor and has already forced his way up the Northern Ireland pecking order. He only has a year left on his contract, and Wednesday are keen to negotiate a new deal with plenty of clubs keen on signing the stopper.
Another prospect to earn praise in Wednesday's traumatic season is 21-year-old defender Gabriel Otegbayo. The centre-back played 35 games for Wednesday in the Championship and showed athleticism and quality on the ball. Blues need another option in defence this summer, and it might not be a bad idea to house a project player in a position that is rarely rotated.
Svante Ingelsson is the quality outfielder in Wednesday's ranks, and it was no surprise to see him clean up their end-of-season awards. The Swede is the perfect build for the Championship and is usually available. Portsmouth and Millwall tried to sign Ingelsson in January, and Stoke City have also been credited with an interest in a player Wednesday will struggle to keep in League One.
Oxford United
Belgian midfielder Brian De Keersmaecker has already been linked with an exit after impressing in his first season in England. A box-to-box midfielder, De Keersmaecker scored once and registered five assists for Oxford before his season was curtailed by a shoulder injury in February.
Myles Peart-Harris is a free agent and is expected to attract Championship interest after five goal contributions in 19 league games for the U's. The 23-year-old also made a Premier League appearance for Brentford last season. Peart-Harris is primarily an attacking midfielder but he is equally adept out wide and was one of Oxford's better players against Blues in January, despite inadvertently scoring an own goal.
Leicester City
On paper, Leicester have plenty of players who will be of interest to top-end Championship clubs, but few did themselves any favours last season. There is no doubting the talent of Abdul Fatawu and his haul of nine goals – including two against Blues – and seven assists is impressive in a side that struggled. Fatawu has already been linked with Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, and the 22-year-old may prove too expensive for Championship clubs. Anyhow, Blues are very well stocked in Fatawu's preferred right-wing position with Carlos Vicente and Patrick Roberts.
Leicester have two pretty handy centre-backs in Harry Souttar and Ben Nelson. Souttar cost Leicester £15 million a few years ago, but his injury record since joining the Foxes is a concern. A ruptured Achilles and knee issues have blighted Souttar's last 16 months. Nelson broke through at Leicester last season after a Championship loan at Oxford the season before. The 22-year-old maybe isn't ready to be a starter for a team chasing promotion, but he has plenty of potential as a squad player.
Lastly, a player well known to Blues boss Chris Davies in Hamza Choudhury. The midfielder played under Davies during his time as assistant manager with the Foxes and has ample experience at Championship level. Blues will need to improve their midfield options in the summer, and Choudhury is a useful operator at this level.
Should Blues be interested in any of the above? Let us know in the comments...
