Ex-West Brom man under pressure as Birmingham City snub transfer | OneFootball

Ron Gourlay is reportedly under mounting pressure at Valencia as they failed to sign Marvin Ducksch

Ex-West Bromwich Albion chief executive, Ron Gourlay, is reportedly facing mounting pressure at his current employers, Valencia CF, after they failed to agree a transfer with Birmingham City for the services of Marvin Ducksch.

That is according to Spanish print outlet, AS - relayed by Sport Witness - as the two-time German international was the subject of intense exit talk from Birmingham throughout the entirety of the summer transfer window.

The 32-year-old only moved to the Championship side from Bundesliga outfit, Werder Bremen, 13 months ago, but it is fair to say his spell at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park has been tumultuous to say the least.

Birmingham have made an intriguing start to the 2026/27 campaign under Chris Davies, as they are still one of five sides yet to be beaten in a second tier match after four outings played.

However, in their last two matches, they have taken four points from six against fellow play-off hopefuls Wrexham and Southampton, although the aforementioned Ducksch played no role in either fixture as a long-standing transfer saga takes another twist.

Ex-West Brom CEO under pressure as Birmingham City, Valencia agreement for Marvin Ducksch falters

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After a difficult initial period in the Second City, largely due to pre-season fitness issues, Ducksch went on to score 11 times in all competitions, leaving him as Birmingham's joint-top scorer alongside club-record signing, Jay Stansfield.

However, since March there have been murmurings over a potential swift exit for the 32-year-old, which initially included links to AEK Athens and Real Sociedad.

Ducksch has also made headlines because of off-field controversy after the Easter Monday loss to Ipswich Town, and after it was reported late in the window that he had rejected offers to join Orlando City and Atlanta United, it was revealed that Valencia had made a late-window attempt to sign the striker.

The agreement was later blocked by Blues, who included Ducksch in the matchday squad against Southampton, although the forward is said to have been perplexed that such developments halted his move.

And now it has emerged that Gourlay, who was CEO at West Brom between 2022 and 2024 after prior spells with Chelsea and Reading, is under even more pressure after failing to add sufficient depth to Carlos Corberan's squad at the Mestalla, whilst also extending the former Baggies and Huddersfield Town chief's contract until 2028.

How Chris Davies feels about Marvin Ducksch's situation

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Whilst there has been intense speculation over his future due to interest from Europe and across the Atlantic, Ducksch's own pre-season preparations were hindered by an injury in Birmingham's training camp in Portugal two months ago.

After not making the squads for the EFL Cup tie against Swansea City and the first match of the league season, the German played the final six minutes of the 2-2 draw against Bristol City on August 22nd, but was an unused substitute against Wrexham and Southampton.

Asked whether he would stay due to differing transfer deadlines across Europe, Davies said: “There’s been a lot of talking around him, but he’s been training and working well, waiting for his opportunity. That will be the plan moving forward."

Marvin Ducksch may put himself in the January shop window after failed Valencia pursuit

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Given his reported bemusement that the deal was not finalised, Ducksch now has a chance to potentially put himself in the shop window for a January move if he can perform strongly between now and then for Blues.

However, it appears as though he may be very much down the pecking order, with Jay Stansfield operating in the 'number 10' role against Southampton, with Davies recruiting Liam Millar to now add depth to the left-wing position that the forward was previously operating in.