48-cap Birmingham City international should follow Krystian Bielik out of St Andrew's this summer | OneFootball

FLW looks at two players who could leave Birmingham City in the summer

Birmingham City's recruitment has played a huge part in the club sitting at the top of League One as we head into the business end of the season.

Despite the well-documented investment pumped in by Tom Wagner since his takeover of the club back in July 2023, added to the fact that Blues are not operating like a League One club with their array of high-profile sponsorship deals and sell-outs at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, credit has to go to Chris Davies and his recruitment side for moulding such an efficient side together.

Of course, the club is in a position of internal and external expectancy, but as we've so often seen in recent seasons, League One has become somewhat of a graveyard for former Premier League clubs in recent times - think Sunderland, Sheffield United and Portsmouth, for instance.

Since August, the mass number of recruits have enjoyed various levels of success as they look to achieve a first-time promotion back to the Championship, as well as proving to Davies why they should be kept in the side or the matchday squad, as the West Midlands side look to make quick-fire progress under their American investment group.

With that in mind, FLW has looked at two players who may benefit from a move away from B9 this coming summer.

Krystian Bielik

Krystian Bielik was given the club captaincy by Davies after his appointment last summer, but this season has been a mixed bag as far as the former Arsenal man is concerned, despite the signing of a three-year contract after relegation.

The 27-year-old started off the season forming a formidable centre-back partnership with summer signing Christoph Klarer as Birmingham immediately signalled their intent as promotion contenders, before filling a void at right-back in the hectic Christmas period as Ethan Laird worked himself back to full fitness.

However, the 11-time Poland international hasn't started a game for Blues since the 1-1 draw with Stockport County on New Year's Day, playing just 88 minutes of third-tier football in that timeframe after falling victim to the success enjoyed by Klarer, Ben Davies, Laird and even fellow utility man, Taylor Gardner-Hickman.

Furthermore, it was reported by Fraser Fletcher of TEAMtalk in the latter stages of the January window that Bielik was on the radar of Stoke City, as Mark Robins looked to make immediate changes to his Potters side during his first transfer window at the Bet365 Stadium.

Given his leadership, aerial and ball-playing ability when called upon, it's no surprise that clubs which may be viewed as a direct rival to the B9 outfit upon what looks like a certain return to the Championship are looking to poach his services, and they will no doubt have one eye on whether a lack of starts continue in the final weeks of the campaign.

Davies has reassured his skipper that he still has a "big role to play" for the club moving forward amid a lack of minutes, but it certainly creates an element of risk and uncertainty.

Bailey Peacock-Farrell

Bailey Peacock-Farrell only joined the club in July, but since making his competitive debut against Reading on August 10th, the former Burnley man has found it rather tough in the Second City.

Despite a strong return of points at the start of the season, the Northern Ireland international kept just one clean sheet in seven games, and was swiftly replaced by fellow summer recruit, Ryan Allsop, after a major error against Peterborough United on September 28th, which coincided with a shoulder issue.

Since then, Peacock-Farrell's main source of minutes have come in Blues' run to the EFL Trophy Final, as well as featuring against Lincoln City and Newcastle United in the FA Cup, with the 28-year-old starting his first league game in six months in the 3-1 defeat at Bolton Wanderers, coming in for criticism as a result of the Whites' equaliser, although Davies was quick to defend his keeper's overall performance on the night.

There's no doubting that, on his day, the 48-cap international is an extremely solid performer. But, given his inconsistencies and the potential backing Wagner is likely to give Davies in the transfer market, in which a new first-choice or back-up goalkeeper could be sourced, it would seem highly unlikely that a player of Peacock-Farrell's previous pedigree would settle for such a predicament.