Birmingham City must submit their 25-man squad for the first half of the Championship season by the close of play today, with manager Chris Davies facing difficult decisions after the club failed to offload surplus players during the summer transfer window.
Clubs have 24 hours after the transfer window closes to submit their lists, and Blues currently have 27 senior players on their books. This includes new signing Liam Millar, third-choice goalkeeper Brad Mayo, and injured midfielders Marc Leonard and Taylor Gardner-Hickman.
Under-21 Rules and Injuries Shape the Squad
Mayo, Jhon Solis, and August Priske will count towards Blues' official squad this year as they are no longer classed as under-21 players. The EFL handbook states: “For Season 2026/27 an Under 21 Player is someone born on or after 1 January 2005.”
Leonard is not expected to be fit until the New Year, and Davies has ruled Gardner-Hickman out for 'months', making it feasible that one or both could be left out of the 25-man squad. The Scottish transfer window closes on Thursday evening, and there are expected to be moves north of the border that appeal to winger Scott Wright, who is believed to have had interest in England before the window shut.
Surplus Players and Potential Departures
Kanya Fujimoto appears to be out of the picture again, and the Portuguese Primeira Liga—where the midfielder played for Gil Vicente before signing for Blues—will allow transfers until September 15. Blues have struggled to offload their surplus players all summer, which could lead to a fully-fit senior player being confined to the stands if something does not give.
Current Squad List
Blues' current squad includes goalkeepers James Beadle, Ryan Allsop, and Brad Mayo; defenders Bright Osayi-Samuel, Ethan Laird, Christoph Klarer, Phil Neumann, Dael Fry, Alex Cochrane, Kristoffer Lund, and Lee Buchanan; midfielders Paik Seung-ho, Tomoki Iwata, Jhon Solis, Max Bird, Marc Leonard, Taylor Gardner-Hickman, and Kanya Fujimoto; wingers Carlos Vicente, Patrick Roberts, Demarai Gray, Liam Millar, and Scott Wright; and strikers Jay Stansfield, August Priske, Luis Vazquez, and Marvin Ducksch.
The final decision on which players are left out will have a significant impact on the squad's depth for the first half of the season, with injuries and potential late moves in Scotland and Portugal still to play out.
