Birmingham City latest: Wage problem, January transfer priorities, Liam Rosenior prediction | OneFootball

Highlights

Birmingham City will be hoping to secure their first win under Wayne Rooney when they face Hull City on Wednesday evening.

Having been appointed during the international break, Rooney had the opportunity to get his side into shape ahead of last weekend's clash against Middlesbrough.

But with the form Boro are in, it was always going to be difficult for Blues to come away with anything from that game.

This is partly why their 1-0 loss at the Riverside can be forgiven, but the 37-year-old needs to get points on the board as quickly as possible to keep the fans onside.

The travelling supporters on Teesside were fully supportive of Rooney - and a win in midweek should help to raise both his confidence and the confidence of his team.

The Midlands outfit have made a decent start to the campaign, but that will count for nothing if they can't build on that.

Whether they can achieve a promising league finish remains to be seen, but looking more at the present, we take a look at the latest news involving the club.

Alan Nixon has reported that Neil Etheridge, Scott Hogan and Ivan Sunjic are all high earners at St Andrew's.

And the same journalist believes the trio may need to be offloaded before Blues are able to conduct a considerable amount of incoming transfer business.

The potential offloading of their wages next summer could help them in the transfer market - and all three are currently set to leave in 2024 with their contracts expiring then.

It remains to be seen whether any of the trio are offered new deals but if they are, it would be difficult to see the club offering them a similar wage.

Etheridge is probably the player in most danger of leaving considering his lack of first-team minutes since the start of last season.

Wayne Rooney wants a centre-back and a striker in January

Nixon also believes Rooney wants a central defender and a striker during the January transfer window.

There was a lot of movement in the centre-back department during the summer, with Auston Trusty leaving the club following the end of his loan, Nico Gordon going out on loan and Maxime Colin, Harlee Dean and George Friend all being released on the expiration of their deals.

Dion Sanderson and Emanuel Aiwu have come in as replacements, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Marc Roberts depart at some point and Rooney is seemingly keen to add more depth.

It's no surprise that he's targeting the forward department too, with Hogan's deal running out next year, Jay Stansfield only on loan and Lukas Jutkiewicz approaching the latter stages of his career now.

Hull boss Rosenior worked alongside Rooney at Derby County, with both establishing a good relationship during their time together at Pride Park.

The two will clash in midweek at Blues host the Tigers - but Rosenior did have some nice things to say about his former colleague and believes the 37-year-old's appointment at St Andrew's will work out.

Speaking to Hull Live, he said: "I messaged him as soon as I realised he got the job and Pete Shuttleworth who I get on really well with. I'm delighted for them to be back in England.

"I spoke to Wayne two nights ago for 20 minutes just as friends. He's a top man. I wish him all the best and I know given time he'll be successful because I've had the pleasure of working with him.

"He's a lot more intelligent than people give him credit for. He taught me a lot and I think we taught each other a lot in different areas and different things with our skill sets. I'm sure with the coaches he's got there and the staff, his personality and understanding of the game, he's going to be a success."