Birmingham City are poised to cut short Emil Hansson's disappointing loan spell and facilitate a permanent exit for the Swedish winger during the January transfer window.
A Stint in England Cut Short
The 27-year-old arrived at St Andrew's from Dutch club Heracles 18 months ago, signing a three-year contract. However, his time with Blues has been plagued by injuries and inconsistent form, despite the club securing the League One title last season.
New manager Chris Davies made it clear upon his arrival that Hansson was not part of his plans, excluding him from the pre-season training camp in Portugal. Hansson was left to train separately with other unwanted players before securing a season-long loan move to League One side Blackpool in early August.
Struggles Continue at Bloomfield Road
His fortunes failed to improve at Blackpool. Under both Steve Bruce and his successor Ian Evatt, the Swedish international found himself on the fringes, making just three league starts for the Tangerines.
In a recent interview, Hansson reflected on his difficult experience, stating: "I came back for pre-season and I had trained hard. I wanted to give it a chance. But very early on I got the message that I needed to move on... It was of course tough. But that’s part of the game." He expressed disappointment that his ambition of settling for several years at a club after leaving the Netherlands had not materialised.
Dutch Return on the Cards
According to reports from Swedish publication Expressen, Birmingham are now set to activate a recall clause from the Blackpool loan. The club's intention is to immediately offload Hansson to Eredivisie side Excelsior Rotterdam.
Excelsior currently sit 12th in the Dutch top flight at the season's midway point, offering Hansson a potential route to revive his career back in a familiar league. This move would effectively end his Birmingham City nightmare after just half of his contracted term.
The situation highlights the often brutal nature of football transfers, particularly for players moving abroad, and forms part of Chris Davies's squad reshaping as Birmingham City aim for a push towards the Premier League.
