Norwich City, John Ruddy return revelation emerges after Birmingham City exit | OneFootball

Ruddy could have secured a return to Carrow Road, but it doesn't look set to happen now.

Norwich City have rejected a potential John Ruddy reunion at Carrow Road, according to Chris Reeve.

The experienced goalkeeper has spent the past two years at Birmingham City, joining Blues after a five-year spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

After dropping down to the Championship, Ruddy was rewarded with plenty of game time, starting regularly during his time at St Andrew's.

Considering he was competing with Neil Etheridge for a starting spot in the Midlands, the 37-year-old did extremely well to hold down his starting spot for so long, doing an admirable job under several managers.

However, Birmingham were relegated at the end of the 2023/24 campaign and that could be the catalyst for a rebuild at the club, with their former loanees heading back to their parent clubs and several first-teamers being released.

Their goalkeeping department is certainly in need of being addressed, with both Ruddy and Etheridge set to leave when their contracts expire at the end of this month.

They may have moved to address this area already, with Ryan Allsop coming in from Hull City, but another first-team shot-stopper will be required with departures leaving them with a big void to fill.

Norwich City reject move for John Ruddy

In terms of Ruddy, it's currently unclear where his next destination will be.

Earlier this year, The Sun reported that Blackburn Rovers were interested in the keeper, which isn't a major surprise considering their boss John Eustace worked with the goalkeeper during their time together at St Andrew's.

League One club Charlton Athletic have been linked with a move for him more recently - and according to the Daily Mirror - the player has several offers on the table including one from Newcastle United.

However, one club he won't be joining is his former side Norwich, with Reeve reporting that they have rejected a potential return for Ruddy.

This comes after the player's representatives made contact with sporting director Ben Knapper about a potential return to Carrow Road.

Norwich City's decision on John Ruddy may have been the right one

The club probably needs to be focusing on offloading keepers, rather than signing any more at this point, even with Jon McCracken leaving the expiration of his contract.

With Angus Gunn, George Long, Dan Barden, Vincente Reyes, Archie Mair and others available as potential options, signing Ruddy wouldn't have made sense.

A return to Carrow Road would have been romantic and his experience could have been useful, but the stopper isn't required in Norfolk at the moment, and definitely not as a starter with Gunn currently the first-choice stopper.

Instead, the Canaries need to look at addressing their left-back area, with additions desperately required in this department.

They may also need to keep tabs on their forward department, depending on whether the likes of Adam Idah and Josh Sargent go.

Replacing key players will be a must if any leave, with an excellent midfield replacement required for Gabriel Sara if he departs Carrow Road between now and the end of the window.