Craig Gardner 'to leave' Blues after five years in off-field roles | OneFootball

Craig Gardner is reportedly set to leave Blues after five years in senior off-field roles, according to ExpressAndStar.com. He has been director of football at St Andrew's.

Reports of his departure are yet to be confirmed.

The former Albion Premier League midfielder spent three seasons at The Hawthorns, two of them as a regular in the Baggies' top-flight midfield. He scored six goals in 86 Albion appearances. A Villa academy graduate, he also played top flight football for Sunderland.

Part of his third term was on loan at Blues in the Championship, before a permanent return in 2017. He retired in 2020 after a player-coach stint.

He briefly reunited with former Albion boss Tony Pulis at Sheffield Wednesday in 2020, a spell that lasted a month. He returned to Blues in 2021 and was appointed technical director that June.

He spent four years in that post before moving to director of football last year, following the club's return to the second tier after League One promotion.

Gardner was credited with a key role in Knighthead's takeover in July 2023, after which the American ownership expanded the recruitment team around him.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com