The Birmingham City players likely to leave in two months time | OneFootball

FLW looks at those among the Birmingham City squad who could depart on a permanent or temporary basis in January

It has been argued that Birmingham City's current squad is the strongest ever seen at League One level.

Despite being relegated to the third tier for the first time in 30 years, Chris Davies' side haven't rested on their laurels and currently sit second in the table, with their sights still firmly set on an immediate return to the Championship and righting the wrongs of last year's turbulent campaign.

The West Midlands side's backing through Knighthead Capital Management - fronted by Tom Wagner, CEO Garry Cook and NFL icon, Tom Brady - was well-publicised in the summer, as Blues' spending spree broke both club and divisional records, including the record-breaking acquisition of Jay Stansfield from Fulham.

The strength in-depth at Chris Davies' disposal has left many of his divisional counterparts to look on with envy, as there is an ability for the former Tottenham Hotspur boss to rotate his side across all competitions and not feel as if the overall level of his side has dipped in terms of standards.

However, that presents a challenge of keeping all at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park content with their current involvement.

With that being said, Football League World looks at those in Royal Blue who look most likely to leave B9 on a permanent or temporary basis with the January transfer window edging closer.

Dion Sanderson

Dion Sanderson's predicament at Birmingham City is an intriguing one at present.

The centre-back saw himself stripped of the club captaincy in the latter stages of the club's relegation season, and also suffered the misfortune of a foot injury in the early weeks of this campaign after featuring on the opening day against Reading and an EFL Cup success over Charlton Athletic.

However, since returning from injury, the 24-year-old who cost Blues £2m to sign permanently in 2023 has only made three appearances.

Two of those came in the EFL Trophy, with his only league outing being a late cameo against Northampton Town, in which many believed the former Wolves man to be at fault - alongside Tomoki Iwata - for Mitch Pinnock's last-gasp equaliser.

Furthermore, it has been reported by Alan Nixon via Patreon that a loan exit for Sanderson will be sanctioned by Davies if an adequate replacement, such as Hannover 96's Phil Neumann, can be acquired, even though it could see the defender move to a Championship side.

Alfie Chang

Alfie Chang hasn't kicked a ball in anger since August 2023, having suffered a significant ACL injury weeks after being involved in the first four matchday squads of the season when Blues were managed by John Eustace.

Despite featuring a handful of times in the Championship, Chang now finds himself behind the likes of Seung-Ho Paik, the aforementioned Iwata and his fellow summer recruits Marc Leonard and Luke Harris in terms of match fitness and sharpness.

Therefore, with Birmingham already having adequate depth in central midfield, it wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility to see the 22-year-old loaned out to an outfit who aren't a direct threat to the club's short-term promotion prospects after the possibility of Chang stepping up his recovery by featuring for the Under-21s between now and the new year.

Brandon Khela

Despite not suffering any major injury problems himself, Brandon Khela also finds himself as a victim of the strength across Blues' midfield pack, having made just five appearances this season so far.

However, it's clear that the man under contract until 2027 has the ability to make a breakthrough in the years to come, showcased by his sublime curling effort against Charlton in the EFL Cup back in August.

At 19 years of age, the midfielder has plenty of years ahead of him to eventually stake a claim for a first-team position, but at present, a loan move would be the most beneficial scenario for both club and player, as Khela can become more aclimatised with the demands of football lower down the EFL, and eventually become a much-stronger performer as a result.