How much money Birmingham City would save on wages if 'fearless' star leaves for Blackburn Rovers | OneFootball

Taylor Gardner-Hickman could be on the move once more in the coming weeks

On-loan Blackburn Rovers midfielder, Taylor Gardner-Hickman, could be on the move for good once more, according to fresh reports, with the midfielder currently temporarily at Ewood Park away from the club's divisional rivals, Birmingham City.

Blues and Rovers' financial situations are hardly comparable in the present moment, with the West Midlands side able to conduct a raft of high-profile transfer moves under the ownership of Knighthead Capital Management, whilst the East Lancashire side have seen the pursestrings well and truly tightened ever since they were relegated from the Premier League in the spring of 2012, with controversial ownership group, The Venky's, still overseeing matters.

It is also Birmingham who have enjoyed a brighter start to the current Championship campaign, with Chris Davies' men firmly putting their early-season troubles in front of goal behind them, as they are now firmly in and amongst the play-off pack.

They are currently a handful of places and points above Valerien Ismael's side at present, with the 50-year-old's side enduring an indifferent opening four months of the season.

Regardless of the North West side's inconsistencies, Gardner-Hickman has remained a constant figure within Blackburn's midfield since moving up the M6 on Deadline Day, making it unsurprising that Ismael is hoping to extend a second stint with his former West Bromwich Albion colleague, who he has previously sung the praises of.

Indeed, Ismael was the man who handed the 23-year-old his first senior start for West Brom back in August 2021 in a 6-0 EFL Cup defeat to Arsenal at The Hawthorns, although the Frenchman would leave B71 in February 2022.

Two months before, though, he would heap strong praise on Gardner-Hickman after he penned a new contract extension.

"Taylor is the beginning of the project from when I came in; to link the academy to the first team. We wanted to create a pathway and Taylor is the first player me and my staff have been able to bring through," he said.

"Taylor has shown already that he plays without fear, that he has a great attitude and mentality. He represents exactly what we want to see from young players. He’s hungry, he has desire, he’s fearless. He also has a lot of quality," Ismael said.

The Telford would return to the West Midlands after a spell with Bristol City between 2023 and 2024, joining Blues on loan and playing 43 games across all competitions and scoring three times whilst being utilised in several positions by the aforementioned Davies, who saw his temporary switch made permanent for £1.5m in February, signing a contract until June 2028.

However, after seeing numerous new recruits come through the St. Andrew's door, Gardner-Hickman reunited with Ismael in September and has since made one of Rovers' midfield positions his own, with Birmingham Live reporting that his loan club have initiated talks over a permanent deal as a result - one which could also be struck as early as the upcoming transfer window, with the initial loan agreement including an option-to-buy clause.

How much money Birmingham City could save in wages amid Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Blackburn Rovers talk

As previously mentioned, the financial landscapes of Birmingham and Blackburn are incomparable, with almost every decision in the West Midlands analysed as Knighthead look for a swift route back to the Premier League.

As such, there are a plethora of high-profile names and big earners within Davies' squad, with Tom Wagner parting with an ESTIMATED sum of £382,500 per week in order to pay his players - according to Capology - which is said to be the ninth-highest wage bill in the Championship.

Moving Gardner-Hickman on permanently would see Birmingham save a base figure of £10,000 per week, with his wage said to be level with the figures earned by Scott Wright and Willum Willumsson.

Blackburn, however, hold the sixth-lowest weekly wage bill in the division at a figure of £252,038, and that would increase £10,000 whilst Gardner-Hickman would be earning the same wage as five of his Ewood Park colleagues in the form of Balazs Toth, Lewis Miller, Adam Forshaw, Andri Gudjohnsen and Makhtar Gueye.