Carlton Palmer believes Marc Leonard’s arrival from Brighton to Birmingham City would be the perfect start to their summer transfer window.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Birmingham City closing in on signing Leonard, 22, ahead of Championship rivals for a possible fee of £300,000 as per reports.
- Leonard’s successful loan spells with Northampton Town make him a key target for Birmingham, set to be the first signing for the summer.
- Former England midfielder Carlton Palmer believes that Leonard’s arrival at Birmingham would be a statement of intent for the club in League One.
According to reports, Birmingham City has reportedly started negotiations to recruit midfielder Marc Leonard from Brighton and Hove Albion, ahead other Championship teams.
Following yet another outstanding loan with Northampton Town, Marc Leonard is reportedly still being pursued by a number of second-tier teams, including Preston, Plymouth Argyle, and Hull City.
Given that the 22-year-old is approaching the last 12 months of his contract at The AMEX Stadium, Brighton appears willing to move him this summer. A sum of approximately £300,000 has been proposed to the Premier League team in exchange for his services.
Chris Davies, the assistant coach of Spurs, was recently named head coach of Birmingham, and it looks like the West Midlands team is winning the race. Transfer guru Alan Nixon has disclosed via his Patreon account that Birmingham has identified Seagulls midfielder Leonard as a significant target.
According to Nixon, Birmingham has started discussions about making the 22-year-old central midfield midfielder their first summer signing. Birmingham wants to make that happen. The story continues by stating that, considering his exceptional play during his two years on loan at fellow League One team, Northampton Town, Leonard is understandably attracting interest from Championship clubs.
Carlton Palmer’s reaction to Marc Leonard links
Carlton Palmer, a former England midfielder, shared his opinions on the likelihood that the Blues will sign Leonard. In an exclusive interview with Football League World, he stated: “It is rumoured that Birmingham is interested in signing Marc Leonard.
“It’s likely that he will depart Brighton because he has one year left on his contract and isn’t even close to making the first team.
“The gifted midfield midfielder is still attracting interest from several teams. After spending 2022 on loan at Northampton, where he assisted them in winning promotion from League Two, he returned to Sixfields the previous season and settled in nicely to life in the higher division.
“This would be a declaration of purpose, and he’s a very excellent player at this level. It goes without saying that he will want to play as high as possible and that he would not want to play in League One.
“However, it seems likely that Birmingham will be well-positioned to return to the Championship the following year, and Leonard has been successful in League One in the past.
“These other clubs are obviously interested in Leonard, but he wouldn’t want to leave Brighton and miss out on regular first-team action, which is why he went to Northampton on loan.
“He would be interested in playing regularly for a first-team club like Birmingham, even if it meant playing in a division lower than the Championship.
“It’s certainly a statement of intent and will get Birmingham’s supporters upbeat coming into the start of the new season.”
| Marc Leonard’s Northampton Town record – per Transfermarkt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 2022/23 | 48 | 1 | 1 |
| 2023/24 | 49 | 5 | 6 |
With the club about to embark on an exciting new dawn in League One under Davies, signings like Leonard could get the ball rolling for Birmingham in what is set to be a hectic transfer window.
Birmingham’s 2023/24 hopes
Birmingham’s recently released retained list, despite the sadness of relegation, has a team that will be expected to contend immediately for a first-time promotion, even if they may be losing one of their most valuable players in Wales international Jordan James.
It’s a win-win situation for all parties if Blues can turn a healthy profit on their academy graduate and add another highly-regarded box-to-box midfielder for a relatively small fee. This also frees up funds for major investments in other parts of the team.
Being a hardworking centre midfielder who is several years younger than many of Birmingham’s 2023–2024 midfield players, he might be a good long-term option for a Blues squad that is trying to rebuild the entire roster. Although Leonard has gradually moved up the ranks and the second tier is the logical next step, he has the potential to play a significant role in Birmingham’s ascent there in the upcoming campaign.
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