One Birmingham City player won't like Max Bird transfer agreement | OneFootball

Blues' latest transfer move leaves serious question marks over Marc Leonard's future

Birmingham City have completed their sixth signing of the summer transfer window, and it sees Max Bird move across the Championship from Bristol City.

The 25-year-old has become a seasoned operator in the second tier in recent seasons, having signed for the Robins back in January 2024 after previously breaking through Derby County's academy setup.

This summer window has seen fewer players arrive at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park compared to 12 months ago, with Chris Davies hoping that the bulk of his squad are stronger equipped to mount a play-off bid after finishing 10th in 2025/26.

Bird is the sixth addition to the squad, though, and a second in the centre of midfield after Jhon Solis' loan from Girona was made permanent.

This is a department which Blues still have plenty of bodies in, and whilst it remains to be seen what further business is done between now and September 1st, it is another deal which could impact Marc Leonard's future.

4 ? ? Marc Leonard was tipped for a strong spell at Birmingham City

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It has been a rather unfortunate two-year stint in the West Midlands for Leonard, who, at the time of his arrival from Brighton and Hove Albion for just £500,000, was heavily fancied to make his mark under Davies.

The Scotsman had enjoyed two highly successful loan spells in League Two and League One for Northampton Town, and featured heavily in the first month of Blues' record-breaking season in the third tier.

However, the arrival of Tomoki Iwata from Celtic had an instant impact on his gametime, which diminished significantly in terms of starts, as the Japanese and Paik Seung-ho formed an impressive partnership alongside each other, and that remained the case in the Championship.

3 ? ? Marc Leonard's Birmingham City future had already been plunged into doubt

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At 24 years of age, it is fair to say that Leonard is not a million miles away from entering what many would perceive to be the 'prime' of his senior career, despite earning strong reviews during the infancy of it.

However, with Blues making further changes to their midfield last term - which saw Tommy Doyle spend the season on loan from Wolves before Solis' initial temporary stint - Leonard fell further down the pecking order after failing to make a start in the Championship until October.

That said, when he was involved, as was the case in League One, supporters were content with the midfielder's performance levels, but his long-term future had already been plunged into doubt by January, before SPFL title challengers, Hearts, made their move on a loan basis.

Leonard proved to be an immediate hit with former Jambos boss, Derek McInnes, after assisting on debut against Celtic at Tynecastle, whilst also netting at Rangers.

However, after just 13 appearances, many of which were strong outings, the Scot ruptured his achilles, adding further agony to Hearts' season as they missed out on a first title in decades to Celtic in a 'winner takes all' showdown on May 16th.

2 ? ? Max Bird's arrival only adds to Marc Leonard's departure likelihood

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The severity of Leonard's injury means he is still nowhere near a return to full fitness, with it being claimed that a return may not be on the cards until 2027.

Prior to McInnes' managerial move to Rangers, it was reported that Leonard was on course for a permanent exit from Birmingham, even though there were also suggestions that the Scottish youth international's wage demands presented issues.

However, with Bird now joining the trio of Paik, Iwata and Solis as midfielders ready to go at the beginning of the season, it only adds to the likelihood that Leonard will be moved on at some point between now and next summer.

Bird, 25, has also suffered injury issues in the past year, meaning he only featured 15 times for the Robins in 2025/26, but certainly provides strong competition and experience with over 160 Championship games under his belt, and eight assists from a deep-lying position when his former employers made the play-offs two seasons ago.

1 ? ? Where could Marc Leonard ply his trade if he left Birmingham City?

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It is hard to gauge where Leonard could feature in the years to come, as it could take a period of time for him to get back to full capacity after such a serious injury.

During recent times, he had attracted plenty of interest from Championship clubs, namely Sheffield United and Norwich City, whilst in the summer of 2025, Huddersfield Town were linked with a move of their own after previously signing Blues striker, Alfie May.

With a record of 10 assists in 81 games at League One level, it is clear the Glaswegian would be viewed as a high-level signing if a club in the third tier came in for his services, but some will still be of the opinion that another Championship move is what Leonard deserves based on his prior career performances.

Ultimately, though, it is a shame that the midfielder's tenure at Blues could be coming to an end sooner rather than later without supporters not getting a strong enough glimpse of his talent.