Dembele out: This is Birmingham City's most valuable starting XI based on market value | OneFootball

Highlights

It's been a tough Championship season for Birmingham City, with Wayne Rooney struggling to fully convince at the start of his Blues tenure - but the squad’s results previously only go to show that the quality is there.

The side from the Second City were in the top-six when John Eustace was sacked in favour of the Manchester United legend after an impressive win over local rivals West Bromwich Albion at St. Andrew’s. They've slowly dropped down the table under Rooney, who hasn't managed to lure similar levels out of the squad.

Five wins from their opening 11 did have the Blues down as surprise play-off contenders, including just three losses in that time and a win over now high-flying Leeds. Rooney will be hoping to stamp his mark soon. But to do that, he’ll need the use of his best players - something Football League World takes a look at their most expensive starting XI, as per Transfermarkt.

GK - Neil Etheridge (£435k)

Etheridge joined Blues in 2020 and, despite only making four league appearances last season, he’s ranked above John Ruddy in terms of market value - likely due to Ruddy being closer to 40.

He's rarely featured for the Blues, with Ruddy the go-to option in goal for a lot of the season so far.

RB - Cody Drameh (£3m)

Drameh is only on loan from Leeds United after a stellar campaign on loan at promoted Luton Town last season, but it's enough to propel him into this starting XI.

His contract at Leeds is up at the end of the season, which could make him an attractive proposition for any club in the second-tier, and that could well be Birmingham.

CB - Dion Sanderson (£3.5m)

Another star for the future, Sanderson, is only 23 years of age and a local lad. Failing to break through Wolverhampton Wanderers’ first team, he spent many years on loan at the likes of Cardiff, Sunderland and QPR - alongside TWO loan spells at St. Andrew’s - before finally joining the Blues in the summer on a permanent deal.

His value of £3.5million, according to Transfermarkt, will only increase with the amount of second-tier football he’s getting at such a young age.

CB - Emanuel Aiwu (£2.6m)

A summer buy, Aiwu was linked with Premier League side Burnley - which meant that when Birmingham signed him on deadline day back in August, it was seen as a genuine steal.

The Austrian-born defender arrived from Serie A side Cremonese on loan with an option to buy, and whilst he has only made four appearances so far, the potential is clearly there, having played in over 100 Austrian Bundesliga games, 23 Serie A games and as captain of the Austrian under-21 team.

LB - Lee Buchanan (£1.9m)

Buchanan started his career at Derby, but after an unsuccessful stint at Werder Bremen last season, he moved back to the Midlands - though this time to the west.

He featured regularly under John Eustace, which saw the youngster build up his number of appearances at this level.

DM - George Hall (£2.4m)

Another youngster who had burst onto the scene at St. Andrew's, Hall had made 32 appearances for the Blues by the time he turned 19, and it was expected that he would be in with a shout of more first-team minutes this season.

There is no doubt that the 19-year-old will continue to shine once he is back in the starting XI on a regular basis.

CM - Juninho Bacuna (£3.9m)

Juninho Bacuna is part of a sibling Midlands derby divide - his older brother Leandro played for Birmingham’s bitter rivals Aston Villa.

The midfielder began his career at Groningen, though he joined Huddersfield Town when they were in the Premier League, spending three years in Yorkshire and then joining Rangers.

But a failed spell at Ibrox saw him join Birmingham in January 2022 - and he’s done well at St. Andrew’s with 80+ appearances in just under two years. One of the first names on the teamsheet, it’s no wonder his value is one of the highest.

CM - Jordan James (£2.6m)

This seems to be a value that is slightly undermining James. Just 19, he’s already made his Wales debut - with eight caps to boot - and almost 75 outings for the Blues, which is an incredible amount of games at such a young age.

In front of a top-quality midfield, Birmingham should be much higher in the table than they are under Wayne Rooney.

RW - Ethan Laird (£4.35m)

Birmingham's highest-valued player, according to Transfermarkt, many were stunned when Laird joined the Blues on a permanent deal in the summer from Manchester United, where he had been hailed as a future star in years gone by.

It’s most definitely a coup for the club, and at the age of 22, he is only likely to get better, having had over 60 games at Championship level already and a promotion with AFC Bournemouth in 2021-22.

ST - Tyler Roberts (£2.6m)

Roberts fell out of favour at former club Leeds United and with Patrick Bamford, Georginio Rutter and Joel Piroe all ahead of him in the pecking order, he never realistically had a future at Elland Road.

Birmingham have picked him up for a fee of around £500k according to reports, but he's only made a limited impact so far, and at the age of 24, it's a more damning indictment of Birmingham's poor striking recruitment.

LW - Oliver Burke (£1.9m)

Scotland international Burke just about pips Siriki Dembele to this spot.

The speedy winger was a livewire when he was a youngster but he's failed to hit the heights expected of him in his young career, having played for the likes of RB Leipzig and Sheffield United - he'll be hoping that Rooney can get the best out of him.