Birmingham City had three senior players out on loan last season after they were deemed surplus to requirements by manager Chris Davies. Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Marc Leonard, and Scott Wright were all signed in the summer of 2024 when Davies and former Director of Football Craig Gardner overhauled the squad with 17 new signings.
Gardner-Hickman initially joined on loan from Bristol City before making the move permanent for a reported £1.5 million. Leonard and Wright, both Scottish, arrived from Brighton and Rangers respectively. Here, we assess how each loan spell unfolded.
Taylor Gardner-Hickman at Blackburn Rovers
Gardner-Hickman was a key figure in Birmingham's promotion from League One but did not feature in Davies' plans for the 2025/26 season. The 24-year-old was loaned to Blackburn Rovers, where manager Valerien Ismael praised him, saying: 'I had him at West Brom, so I can see the development that he’s made in the last four years.'
Blackburn endured a turbulent season, fighting for Championship survival. Ismael was sacked in February with the club in the relegation zone, but Michael O'Neill took over and guided them to a 20th-place finish, securing their status. Gardner-Hickman played a vital role, making 31 appearances with 23 starts. He worked his way back into the team under O'Neill and delivered impressive performances late in the season. Blackburn had an option to buy the midfielder, but he is set to return to Birmingham.
Reflecting on his loan, Gardner-Hickman said: 'In terms of footballing wise, it’s been a rollercoaster of course. We were not where we wanted to be, ultimately, you’ve got to accept that when you’re in it. The job then is to get yourself out of it and we did it.'
Marc Leonard at Hearts
Leonard's exit was one of the more controversial moves of the season. Despite being rated by Birmingham fans, he was loaned to Hearts in the Scottish Premiership after playing half a season in the Championship. Under former Bristol City manager Derek McInnes, Hearts pushed for the title until the final day, losing to Celtic in a penalty shootout.
Leonard quickly adapted, filling in for the injured Cammy Devlin. He scored one goal and provided three assists in 13 starts, impressing before suffering a devastating Achilles injury against Motherwell with only two matches remaining. Hearts Standard described him as 'the team's best January signing and one of the best Premiership additions in January,' adding that 'he was the perfect addition' during a key period.
Leonard's loan was arguably the most successful among the three, and without his injury, Birmingham might have secured a good transfer fee for him in the summer.
Scott Wright at Dundee
Wright struggled for minutes at Birmingham due to multiple injuries. After returning from an ACL injury in January, he found Patrick Roberts and Carlos Vicente competing for the right-wing position. He was loaned to Dundee to gain game time but managed only one goal in nine appearances in the Scottish Premiership, with minor injury niggles persisting.
Dundee boss Steven Pressley expressed frustration, saying: 'The only disappointing thing is that just when he was starting to get some game time and some progress, that’s nearly another 10, 11 days without training.' Wright showed bright moments but could not sustain consistent game time.
