£3.5m Birmingham City star could leave as top tier club plot move | OneFootball

Willum Willumsson could join the long list of departures from Blues this transfer window

Eredivisie side, NEC Nijmegen, have reportedly expressed an interest in striking a transfer deal for Birmingham City playmaker, Willum Willumsson.

That is according to Dutch-based outlet, Gerlander, with a report surfacing on Monday afternoon over a possible return to the division which Willumsson exited in the summer of 2024 after Blues struck a seven-figure transfer deal with Go Ahead Eagles.

Chris Davies has overseen a major squad reshuffle in such a short period of time, with the winter transfer window normally notorious for limited, but crucial business being conducted by clubs across the country and Europe.

However, that hasn't stopped the Birmingham boss, owner Tom Wagner and director of football, Craig Gardner, from continuing to adopt an exciting, and also ruthless, approach to their transfer business.

Five players have now come through the door at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park with just five days of the transfer window remaining, as Carlos Vicente's highly-anticipated switch from La Liga outfit, Deportivo Alaves, was confirmed on Tuesday night.

The 26-year-old winger's capture follows on from the previous signings of Kai Wagner, Jhon Solis, Ibrahim Osman and August Priske, whilst a whole host of players have seen their exits from this part of the West Midlands confirmed after limited gametime throughout the first half of the season, as well as various other circumstances.

Football League World exclusively revealed that as many as eight players could leave the club throughout the transfer window, and that exact number have departed thus far in the form of Alfons Sampsted, Eiran Cashin, Dion Sanderson, Marc Leonard, Keshi Anderson, Emil Hansson, Lewis Koumas and Lyndon Dykes.

However, that hasn't fully stopped exit talk at St. Andrew's, with Willumsson potentially set to join that list in what remains of the window, having endured a frustrating spell in the Second City within the past 12 months after showing signs of initial promise.

Birmingham City's Willum Willumsson could be set for Eredivisie return with NEC Nijmegen

As previously mentioned, the Icelandic playmaker was one of many exciting additions made to Blues' squad in what was Davies' first transfer window at St. Andrew's, as well as in a full-time managerial role, back in the summer of 2024.

After making a £3.5m switch from Go Ahead Eagles, the 18-time international slotted straight into a new-look starting lineup at the beginning of the club's first League One campaign for 30 years, making a rather immediate impact in the process.

It took just two games for Willumsson to register his first goal in a 3-2 success against Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park, before racking up a further goal contributions in the league in Birmingham's remaining fixtures of 2024.

However, after scoring in a 3-0 victory over Wigan Athletic in January 2025, the 27-year-old failed to continue making such an impact, and his only further two League One goal contributions for the season would come in the 4-0 success over Mansfield Town last April, with Blues celebrating their title-winning success on the same day.

Despite several attacking reinforcements being added to Davies' squad, Willumsson started in two of Birmingham's first four matches of the season against Oxford United and Leicester City, before enduring a lengthy absence for unspecified reasons.

The Reykjavík native then made his return to action against Sheffield United in a 3-0 defeat at Bramall Lane last month, and has since been mainly used as a substitute option for Davies despite further starts against Southampton and Watford.

However, the Scandinavian was namedropped within FLW's aforementioned exclusive report as a player who could depart, and it was revealed over the weekend, ahead of Blues' 1-1 draw with Stoke City, that Go Ahead Eagles had been offered the chance to re-sign their former 15-goal man after completing the acquisition of Sampsted.

But, it has since been reported by Gerlander that Willumsson is being identified as a potential addition to Dick Schreuder's squad at the Goffertstadion after the departures of Vito van Crooij and Rober González.

Willum Willumsson would benefit from Birmingham City departure

After Blues' transfer business, which is likely to result in several tweaks to how Davies sets out his team, Willumsson would find himself further down the pecking order after failing to continue the strong form which he demonstrated at the start of last season.

Having proven himself as a strong performer in the Eredivisie beforehand, the attributes which he also possesses could also be better suited to the division, and the same could also be said for the aforementioned Hansson, who moved to Excelsior Rotterdam after a frustrating spell with Blues that was also somewhat impacted by injury.

NEC are also fourth in the Dutch top-flight at present, meaning there is a strong possibility that Willumsson could feature in European competition next term.