[themaclad]

Birmingham City have re-signed Wolves defender Dion Sanderson on a season-long loan.

The 22-year-old returns to Blues after making 16 appearances while on loan for the first half of the 2021-22 campaign.

He was subsequently loaned to Championship rivals QPR, where he played a further 12 games.

"I know a lot of people here and I would like to think they are happy to see me," said Sanderson, the first signing for new boss John Eustace.

Sanderson's only senior appearance for Wolves to date came in a 2-1 Carabao Cup defeat by Aston Villa in October 2019.

Later that season he was sent on loan to Cardiff City, and had a spell with Sunderland in 2020-21.

Birmingham midfielder Ivan Sunjic has agreed to join German Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin, also on a season-long loan.

The 25-year-old Croat scored three goals in 44 appearances last season.

Meanwhile, former Cheltenham and England Under-19 boss Keith Downing, 56, and ex-QPR coach Matt Gardiner, 48, have been named as Eustace's assistants.

Maik Taylor, who played almost 250 games for Blues and won 88 caps for Northern Ireland, returns to St Andrew's from Walsall as goalkeeping coach.

[themaclad]

Birmingham City have made their third summer signing by recruiting former Everton, Norwich City and Wolves goalkeeper John Ruddy.

The 35-year-old has signed a one-year deal to follow the arrivals of Norwich winger Przemyslaw Placheta and Wolves defender Dion Sanderson on loan.

Ruddy was released by Wolves in June after five years at Molineux.

"Lots of teams have been back already training, so I have been ticking over and doing my own bits," said Ruddy.

"It is a massive club. You can see that from the infrastructure. I took a look at the squad and it is a very good squad - a lot of big characters, a lot of people who are still hungry for success, people with points to prove.

"I think once you have that blend, of experience with youth and the desire to achieve something, you are on to a winner already."

Auston Trusty
Auston Trusty began his career with Philadelphia Union before moving to fellow MLS side Colorado Rapids
Birmingham City have signed Arsenal central defender Auston Trusty on a season-long loan.

The USA Under-23 international, 23, moved to the Gunners from Major Soccer League side Colorado Rapids in January before re-joining them on loan for the rest of the MLS season.

"I am excited for the new chapter and the new challenges" Trusty said.

"I am willing to run, to get stuck into challenges and willing to sacrifice for my team-mates."

Trusty, who has not made a first-team appearance for Arsenal, is Blues' fourth new arrival since the Championship club appointed John Eustace as head coach.

[themaclad]

Birmingham City have agreed terms on a first professional contract for highly rated 16-year-old Jobe Bellingham.

The midfielder, the younger brother of England and Borussia Dortmund player Jude, will sign the deal when he turns 17 on 23 September.

Bellingham has played three times for Birmingham City.

He made his debut as a substitute in an FA Cup third-round defeat by Plymouth Argyle in January and has twice come off the bench in the Championship.

When Bellingham made his senior debut, then-Blues manager Lee Bowyer said he "dominated the ball, didn't really give it away [and] tried to do the right things".

He has also featured for Birmingham's under-23 and under-18 sides, having followed his brother's path through the academy system at St Andrew's.

Jude, 19, has won 15 England caps, having left Birmingham for Dortmund two years ago in a deal that could eventually be worth up to £30m.

He spent one season as a regular in City's first team after becoming the club's youngest-ever player, aged 16 years 38 days on his debut in August 2019 - 69 days older than Jobe was on his first outing this year.

[themaclad]

Birmingham City have signed centre-back Krystian Bielik on a season-long loan from League One side Derby County.

The 24-year-old previously played for Blues during a short-term loan spell in 2017 when he made 10 appearances.

The Poland international went on to join the Rams from Arsenal in 2019 and he has made 49 appearances during his time with the club.

"I am happy to be back. I had a great time here. I can't wait really to be ready," he told the club website.

"I want to play as many games as I can do and enjoy time with the lads. I hope it will be a good season and we can achieve something good, something nice."

Bielik turned out 17 times for Derby last season as they were relegated from the Championship and also scored against Blues in their 2-2 draw on 30 January.

[themaclad]

Manchester United teenager Hannibal Mejbri has completed a season-long loan move to Birmingham City.

Mejbri follows the same loan path to St Andrew's taken by Tahith Chong last season and Jesse Lingard in 2013.

The 19-year-old Tunisia midfielder has already made six appearances for his country.

He is expected to be part of their World Cup squad in November - and is keen to play as many games as possible for John Eustace's Championship side.

Blues have won just one of their first six league games following Eustace's appointment at the start of July, with a less than a month to prepare for the new season.

Mejbri is the sixth signing in this window for Eustace - and Blues' fifth loan deal following defender Dion Sanderson from Wolves, Norwich City winger Przemyslaw Placheta, Arsenal centre-back Auston Trusty and Derby centre-back Krystian Bielik.

They also signed former Everton and Norwich keeper John Ruddy from Wolves.

Mejbri made his United debut in the final game of the season at Wolves in May 2021, then made two more Premier League appearances in the 4-0 defeat at Liverpool and the 1-0 loss at Crystal Palace.

He went on United's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, but he has not played in their first four league games of 2022-23 - and the impending arrival of Antony from Ajax is set to reduce his opportunities even further.

[themaclad]

Birmingham City have signed full-back Emmanuel Longelo on loan from West Ham.

The 21-year-old is Birmingham's seventh signing of the summer transfer window and he will spend the rest of the 2022-23 campaign at the Championship club.

It is a first loan for Longelo, who made his senior West Ham debut as a second-half substitute in a 5-1 EFL Cup win over Hull in September 2020.

His only other appearance - and first start - came in last season's 1-0 home Europa League loss to Dynamo Zagreb.

"I am here to play games and get experience as well," Longelo told the Birmingham website.

"To come to a team like Birmingham, it will help me develop a lot."

Birmingham City have signed Manchester United winger Tahith Chong, for a fee believed to be around £1.5m.

After impressing over the first half of last season at St Andrew's until suffering a thigh injury, he has returned to sign a five-year contract.

Chong, 22, is the second United player to join Birmingham this week.

He follows midfielder Hannibal Mejbri, who moved to the struggling Championship club - Blues' sixth loan made by new boss John Eustace.

Although Chong went on Manchester United's summer tour of Thailand and Australia, he was told that he could leave if a suitable offer came in - and Blues have now signed the Netherlands Under-21 international.

City, who are in the process of going through a takeover, are 22nd in the Championship, with just one win from their first seven games.

[themaclad]

Birmingham City midfielder Jobe Bellingham has signed his first professional contract with the Championship club.

The 17-year-old follows in the footsteps of his older brother Jude, who now plays for Borussia Dortmund and represents the England national team.

Bellingham has made seven appearances for the Blues, including four this season.

He first agreed the deal in July and has officially signed after turning 17.

The length of the deal has not been specified.

Jude Bellingham, 19, is in the England squad to face Italy on Friday, and Germany on Monday, in the Nations League.

He has 15 international caps and is in line to be selected for Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

He made 44 appearances for Birmingham, scoring four goals, before moving to Dortmund in 2020.

The Blues currently sit 17th in the Championship with 12 points from 10 games.

[themaclad]

Birmingham City have made their first signing of the January transfer window by bringing in defender Kevin Long on a short-term deal from another Championship side, leaders Burnley.

Long, 32, who had six months left on his deal at Turf Moor, has opted to join Blues for the rest of the season.

He has not featured under new Burnley boss Vincent Kompany following the Clarets' relegation in May.

But he now joins an injury-hit side who have lost their last three games.

Blues are without Marc Roberts, Harlee Dean, on-loan Dion Sanderson and youngsters Tate Campbell and Nico Gordon for Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie at League One strugglers Forest Green.

"It has been a tough season for me personally at Burnley," he said. "It has just felt like the right time to move on. Birmingham is a massive club and I am really excited to be here."

The centre-back, who has won 17 Republic of Ireland caps, has spent his entire professional career on Burnley's books, making 91 first-team appearances.

Those 13 years as a professional have also included loan spells at Accrington Stanley (three times), Rochdale, Portsmouth, Barnsley (twice) and MK Dons.

John Eustace's Blues have slipped to 17th in the second tier, six points clear of danger.

[themaclad]

Birmingham City have signed Germany Under-21 forward Reda Khadra on loan from Brighton following his half-season spell at Sheffield United.

The 21-year-old Borussia Dortmund product joins his third Championship club after spending last season on loan at Blackburn Rovers.

He scored five goals for Rovers, including one against Blues.

He has scored once for the Blades this season, although he has only made four starts for the promotion-chasing side.

Berlin-born Khadra has swapped second place in the Championship for 17th place, to join a Blues side who have lost their last three games.

The move is Blues boss John Eustace's second loan signing of the January window, following the arrival of Burnley defender Kevin Long.

Do Blues need more goals?
Of the teams outside the Championship relegation zone, only Preston and Cardiff City have scored fewer goals than Blues' 27 in 26 league games this season.

All City's three main strikers have now turned 30.

Nine-goal top scorer Scott Hogan has missed all Blues' five games since the restart after the World Cup break with a hamstring injury, two of Troy Deeney's five goals have come from the penalty spot and Lukas Jutkiewicz has mostly been used from the bench this season.

Following the return of Przemyslaw Placheta to Norwich City, that returns Blues' complement of loan signings to six - Dion Sanderson, Auston Trusty, Emmanuel Longelo, Hannibal Mejbri, Long and Khedra.

They are only permitted to play five at any one time - but Sanderson is currently sidelined by injury.

Following the postponement of Saturday's FA Cup third round tie at Forest Green, now rescheduled for Tuesday, 17 January, Blues' next game is at Bristol City this Saturday.