Birmingham City: Looming Lukas Jutkiewicz decision will not be easy - View | OneFootball

Birmingham City are once again in a relegation battle in the Championship.

The Blues are currently sitting in 20th position, and are just one point clear of the relegation zone.

They looked at the start of the season to be a team that would be in-and-around the play-offs come the end of the season under John Eustace. However, he was sacked by the club in early October, despite having Birmingham in a play-off place.

He was replaced by England legend Wayne Rooney, but he was dismissed after just fifteen games in charge, with the club having fallen to 20th position.

Tony Mowbray became the club’s third manager of the season in January, but has stepped away from on-site management to undergo medical treatment.

This has left Birmingham in a precarious position once again, and it will be another summer of transition at St Andrew’s.

One player who may depart in the summer is Lukas Jutkiewicz.

Jutkiewicz is a modern-day Birmingham icon

Jutkiewicz has been at the club since the summer of 2016, having initially joined on loan with an option to buy from Burnley.

Birmingham then triggered their clause to buy him in the January window, signing him for £1 million and the player penning a three-and-a-half-year deal.

The striker came in and scored nine goals in his first season at the club, with his former manager Gianfranco Zola praising him for his work rate, and how important he was to the team.

He did not hit double figures for Birmingham until his third season at the club, his most prolific season to date. He would score 14 goals and assist ten more, having played in all 46 Championship games, starring under Garry Monk.

Forming a great partnership with now Southampton striker Che Adams, Blues stayed up after being deducted nine points for financial misconduct.

His appearances over the last few seasons have lessened, only starting around half of the club’s league games over the last three seasons coming into this year.

Jutkiewicz scoring will give Birmingham tougher decision

Now at 34 years old, his contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

There is no doubt that Jutkiewicz has been an incredible servant for the club, but this season he has found his chances hard to come by. He has been limited to an impact sub role, starting just three of the 23 league games he has appeared in so far.

He showed his qualities on his draw - using his ability in the air and height, he got ahead of Alfie Jones and guided the ball into the back of the net from an Alex Pritchard cross.

The ‘Juke’ has a knack for scoring important goals, and his quality in the air can cause real problems, especially late on in games.

His age will be a problem, but if he can keep scoring more important goals and help keep Blues in the Championship for another year, then they may have to hand him a one-year deal.

There are pros and cons to that, of course, which make this looming decision a tough one.