'He failed the medical' - Birmingham City transfer truth revealed | OneFootball

A fresh claim over Abdoulie Manneh's failed move to St. Andrew's has come to light

A fresh claim over the failed transfer of Gambian winger, Abdoulie Manneh, from Swedish side, Mjallby AIF, to Birmingham City in January has now come to the fore.

Gambian football expert, Baboucarr Fallaboweh, has revealed how his compatriot was left feeling after a potential move to the ambitious Championship side fell through after it seemed as though he was set to sign on the dotted line at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

Birmingham's lofty ambitions under the ownership of Knighthead Capital Management have been well-documented, with Chris Davies tasked with eventually ending the club's lengthy exile from the Premier League ahead of their planned move to the 62,000-seater Powerhouse stadium in the coming years.

Last season, Blues were extremely active in both transfer windows whilst having plenty of expectation set on them by outsiders when it came to the Championship's promotion scene.

Ultimately, despite investing heavily in a plethora of high-profile names, Davies' side were unable to mount a sustained bid for the play-offs and finished 10th, although this also represented the club's best finish for 10 years.

Yet whilst the club's transfer strategy appears to have changed based on activity in the most-recent window, it is clear that Manneh's entourage are still disappointed about January's events, as the forward's career has already taken a different path.

Abdoulie Manneh's failed Birmingham City transfer explained

Action Images

The versatile winger certainly caught the eye of many clubs during his time at the Strandvallen, during which Mjallby were crowned Allsvenskan champions for the 2025 season.

Manneh, who netted seven times and produced three further assists throughout said campaign, had already attracted interest from Greek Super League giants, Olympiacos, before a move to the Athens outfit collapsed.

It was then reported that Blues had reached an agreement in January for his services, although the fee was never to be disclosed.

The four-time international was then set to travel to the West Midlands to complete a medical, before Football League World exclusively revealed that an 11th-hour twist in the deal had occurred, and that it was off.

Mjallby then released an official statement on the matter, but months later, Fallaboweh has revealed what exactly caused the deal to collapse.

“I think mentally and psychologically it was a big blow. He was close to some big move to Olympiacos before Birmingham City. That failed. So, as a player, psychologically, you feel down,” he told Sport Witness.

“I think with Birmingham [City], he failed the medical. Psychologically, he was down, just like with Olympiacos.”

Birmingham City weren't the only English side to track Abdoulie Manneh's progress

Action Images

Not only was Manneh clearly disappointed with his failed move to B9, there were several other sides, either in the Premier League or the Championship said to have been keeping tabs on his upward trajectory.

It was claimed that the Swedish side were demanding a club-record sale in the region of approximately £3.6m last November when interest surfaced from last season's second tier champions, Coventry City, as well as Stoke City.

Beforehand, the likes of AFC Bournemouth, Brighton and Hove Albion, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers were also credited with interest in the Gambian, who has since departed Mjallby on a temporary basis.

Abdoulie Manneh's current status after failed Birmingham City deal

Action Images

Manneh's form in 2026 for Mjallby certainly didn't hit the same heights after such unfortunate circumstances in the winter market, scoring just twice in 11 appearances.

However, he was recently able to secure an exit from the Swedish side, joining Belgian Pro League outfit, Cercle Brugge, in August 2026.

The 21-year-old is yet to make his debut at the Jan Breydel Stadium, despite the fact there have been six top-flight matches in the calendar for his temporary employers after the switch was agreed.

However, if Manneh does eventually prove his worth for Lars Friis' team in the coming months, he could see a permanent move arise, as the aforementioned deal includes an option-to-buy at the end of the campaign.