Birmingham City search for Craig Gardner replacement takes intriguing twist | OneFootball

Blues still have not replaced Gardner as their director of football - and they may have hit a new stumbling block

Birmingham City's hunt for a new director of football to take Craig Gardner's place has been prolonged, but a new potential snag has emerged when trying to hire their top candidate.

Blues have not always had the role in place like many big European clubs do above the head coach, but in 2021, the aforementioned Gardner was appointed as technical director of the club, after playing 125 times for them across his on-field career.

That role changed in early 2025, when he was given a 'promotion' to become director of football, but he was to leave St. Andrew's in early June 2026, before the club really got to work on their transfer business ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

Birmingham City have eyed up John Murtough to become director of football

One name that has emerged in the frame to succeed Gardner is that of John Murtough, who has plenty of experience being involved with one English club in particular.

After spending time at the likes of Everton, Fulham and Coventry City, Murtough became the academy manager of Man United in 2013, before taking on a new role of 'director of development' at Old Trafford in 2016.

He'd take on the big new role of 'football director' in 2021 for the Red Devils, overseeing all footballing matters, albeit not so much in recruitment drives, and he would last three years in that job before stepping aside from working at the club in order for them to implement a new leadership group.

Since exiting United, Murtough has headed to the continent to take on the role of director of global development at Serie A outfit Atalanta in April 2025 - but how long he remains there for is another question.

Snag emerges in Birmingham City's John Murtough pursuit

With the ambitious Knighthead running things at Birmingham City, they are aiming to put the best possible figure in charge of what Gardner used to do, and they've eyed up Murtough as one of the leading candidates for the job.

But there's a potential snag in the works, with the Daily Mail reporting that Atalanta would be due compensation if Birmingham were to approach the 55-year-old and if he were to agree to make the move to St. Andrew's.

It is claimed that the Blues hierarchy are struggling to reach an agreement with Lombardy-based outfit in regards to a financial package, meaning Murtough coming to Birmingham is by no means yet a done deal, and if terms cannot be agreed then City will have to move on to their next target.

John Murtough would be a huge coup for Birmingham City if Tom Wagner can get a deal done

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For the size of club that Birmingham City want to become, appointing the right sporting director/director of football with enough expertise and an extensive contacts book is going to be crucial for their next stage.

With the Powerhouse Stadium on the horizon in the years to come, Knighthead plan for Blues to be in the Premier League and for them to stay there for a long time, and acquiring the services of a Murtough, who has been the football director at one of the world's biggest clubs, fits into their ambitions.

Whilst Gardner was good for the League One to Championship part of the project, perhaps there was a notion that to reach the next level, Birmingham may have to level up not just on the pitch, but off it too, but to bring someone contracted to another club in costs money - the club's powers-that-be will already know that.

Birmingham can't particularly afford for this process to be drawn out much longer though - the job has been vacant for nearly four months now, and the sooner they can agree a fee with Atalanta - providing Murtough wants to move - the better.