Birmingham City backed over axing promotion-winning player - Derby County have been tipped to swoop | OneFootball

Keshi Anderson's departure from Birmingham City was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Birmingham City have been backed for making the "right call" as the club confirmed Keshi Anderson had seen his contract terminated six months ahead of schedule after a mutual agreement.

It has been an inconsistent first half of the season for Blues, who are now looking to steer themselves towards the play-offs between now and the end of the campaign whilst undergoing what supporters will hope is a successful winter transfer window.

Birmingham welcomed 14 new players to St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park in the summer window, which included fresh competition in Anderson's natural wide position in the form of returning academy graduate, Demarai Gray, as well as striking loan moves for Liverpool prospect, Lewis Koumas and two-time promotion winner with Sunderland, Patrick Roberts.

Despite the continued raft of largely high-profile signings under the management of Chris Davies and ownership of Knighthead Capital Management, the West Midlands outfit currently find themselves 14th in the Championship, and are facing dilemmas across a handful of areas in the squad due to current injuries.

The aforementioned Gray is currently sidelined until next month with a calf strain whilst it has been widely reported that there have been plans in place for Koumas to return to Anfield after a largely frustrating loan stint - albeit the nine-time Welsh international has started in Blues' back-to-back 3-2 victories over Coventry City and Cambridge United.

That initially left Anderson as the club's only other natural option in a left-wing position. However, he will be playing no further part in the club's envisaged rise from League One to the Premier League, with his two-and-a-half-year spell coming to an end earlier in the week after 92 appearances in royal blue.

Despite the fact his gametime had significantly diminished in recent weeks and months, the decision has prompted a split of opinions across social media from Bluenoses.

However, Football League World's Birmingham City fan pundit, Jason Moore, believes it is the right call for all parties, although he can see the 30-year-old turning out for another Championship side in the coming weeks due to his ability.

Birmingham City backed for making "right call" amid Keshi Anderson exit - Derby County prediction made

Anderson was one of many signings made during Knighthead Capital's first transfer window in the St. Andrew's boardroom, initially penning a one-year contract after his exit from Blackpool was confirmed following the Tangerines' relegation back to League One.

Although his first year in B9 would end disastrously through relegation, Anderson became a favourite last term in Davies' first season on the left wing, scoring seven times and providing a further five assists in 37 League One appearances, which included a stunning strike in a crucial 1-0 victory against Huddersfield Town 12 months ago.

After starting the first two games of the Championship season against Ipswich Town and Blackburn Rovers, the Luton-born winger then found it extremely tough to restore his place in the starting lineup, largely down to a four-game injury absence.

His recent starts in 3-0 defeats at both Sheffield United and Watford would be his first since October, and also the last of his 92 overall appearances, during which he accumulated 20 overall goal contributions.

Although Moore believes the club have made the right decision, he believes Anderson could reunite with Eustace at Derby County.

"There had been a few rumblings that it would happen. It's probably the right call," he told FLW.

"(For) where we want to go, he's not quite good enough. He was a very good system player in League One," Moore explained.

"League One's definitely below his ability. He's a Championship player, just not a top-end Championship player for where we want to be.

"He's barely played this season as Dimmy (Gray) has took that position. It's the right call," he added.

"Hopefully he can go and play his football elsewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up at Derby with John Eustace.

"It's definitely the right call to get his wages off the books and replace him with someone better. It just means we've got even more work to do.

"Right call for the club, and the right call for Keshi," Moore concluded.

Birmingham City could source Keshi Anderson upgrade with FC Basel ace

Whilst some have questioned why the club sanctioned Anderson's exit ahead of a replacement being sourced, Birmingham are clearly on the lookout for stronger depth in this department.

Although FLW exclusively revealed that their pursuit of Mjallby AIF ace, Abdoulie Manneh, broke down earlier in the week, links have resurfaced with FC Basel's Nigerian winger, Philip Otele, with last season's Swiss Super League champions also reducing their asking price amid further interest from the likes of Wolves, AFC Bournemouth, Lazio and Celtic.

Whilst Anderson has been a good servant for Blues, a player with UEFA Europa League pedigree and interest from clubs of such stature does point towards an upgrade.