Birmingham City poised to sanction January transfer window exit for Dion Sanderson | OneFootball

Dion Sanderson could be allowed to leave Birmingham City on loan in January, with Chris Davies looking to sign a defender.

Dion Sanderson's place in the pecking order at Birmingham City has dropped this season despite the club's relegation to League One, and that could lead to a January exit for a player that was once one of the first names on the teamsheet at St. Andrew's.

According to Alan Nixon via his Patreon account, Sanderson will be allowed to leave on loan in the winter - that is providing a defender is signed to bolster Chris Davies' ranks.

Sanderson only arrived permanently last year for a reported fee in the region of £2 million from Midlands rivals Wolves, and, heading into the summer, was the only recognised centre-back at the club.

Former Celtic and Tottenham coach Davies was looking to rebuild a squad capable of punching its way out of League One at the first attempt in the summer, and has certainly been backed and that included defensive reinforcements to bolster his pool of central options at Blues.

He currently has Krystian Bielik, who recently signed a new deal and is accomplished at second-tier and international level, Sanderson, who was previously club captain and has been an ever-present for the last two years, as well as new signings in Ben Davies and Christoph Klarer, all at his disposal.

Dion Sanderson could be set for Birmingham City loan exit in January

Disappointment regarding his playing time is likely to see the defender seek a move away from Birmingham in the upcoming transfer window.

It appears very unlikely that anything is likely to change on this front in the future, as a strong partnership has developed between Klarer and Bielik, which has seen Sanderson's game time diminish this season.

The 24-year-old joined permanently from Wolves to move to Blues last summer after previously impressing in his two loan spells with the club, but a loan switch could now be on the cards.

Nixon's report states that his place could be in jeopardy with Davies seeking a fresh face in defensive areas. Sanderson has admirers at Championship level and could "ironically" move up to the second tier in January, should interested parties come forward.

A report from The Daily Record in the summer stated that Scottish giants Rangers were one side that had been tracking Sanderson for some time now, although no deal materialised in the end.

The verdict on Dion Sanderson's Birmingham City future

During his time at St. Andrew's, the 24-year-old has made nearly 100 appearances and he was appointed as the club's captain for the 2023/24 campaign.

However, Sanderson's first season as skipper fell below expectations, with the defender stripped of the captaincy before the conclusion of the campaign having been charged for drink-driving late on in the campaign and underperforming for much of 2023/24.

Now, further evidence of Sanderson's position in the squad can be seen from the fact Davies has opted for a three-man defence at times this season, but still sides against starting the former Wolves man over the versatile Alex Cochrane and the like.

Davies appears to have made his mind up and will be reluctant to compromise the side's promotion push to keep one player happy. It feels like Sanderson's time at Birmingham, at least in the short-term, is all but over.