Birmingham City have loaned some real talents over the years, we take a look at some of the biggest loan stars to have graced St Andrew’s in recent times.
Joe Hart whilst on-loan at Birmingham City
Goalkeeper: Joe Hart
The all-time record holder for the most Premier League Golden Glove awards won with 4, it was at Birmingham City that Hart really established himself as a top class Premier League goalkeeper. The Blues have also had the likes of Jack Butland and Boaz Myhill on temporary deals, but Hart deserves his place, both for his performances at St Andrew’s and elsewhere.
Currently on-loan at Torino, during his season at Birmingham, Hart was named both Birmingham’s Player of the Year and the PFA Goalkeeper of the Year.
Centre-Back: Kyle Bartley
Arguably the weakest player in this XI, Kyle Bartley is still winning a number of plaudits on-loan at Leeds United. The likes of Ryan Shotton and Tyler Blackett could have made the XI, but it’s Bartley who gets the nod. The 25-year-old played 17 games on-loan at Birmingham in the 2013/14 season.
Centre-Back: Johan Djourou
Switzerland’s Granit Xhaka and Johan Djourou at the end of the game
Former Arsenal defender Johan Djourou played just 13 games for Birmingham in the 2007/08 season, but he has gone on to have a fine career. Having made just shy of 150 appearances for the Gunners, Djourou joined Hamburg in 2014, where he is currently club captain. Combining physicality and a technical ability at the back, Djourou has also won 65 caps for Switzerland.
Centre-Back: Grant Hall
QPR’s Supporters’ Player of the Year last season, and aged just 24, Grant Hall is one of the most highly regarded central defenders in the Championship. He was loaned to Birmingham from Tottenham in 2014/15, making just 7 appearances. He failed to make a first team appearance in 3 years with Spurs, but having joined QPR in 2015, Hall has now really established himself.
Central Midfield: Alexander Hleb
He may be 35, but Alexander Hleb still featured in the Champions League group stages last season. This campaign has started a little less impressively, knocked out of Champions League qualifying by Dundalk and Europa League qualifying by Astana. Currently in his fourth spell with BATE Borisov, in an 18 year career, Hleb has played for the likes of Stuttgart, Arsenal and Barcelona, as well as spending a season on-loan at Birmingham, where he won the League Cup.
Left Wing: Jordon Ibe
For a long time, Jordon Ibe was expected to be the next breakthrough star at Anfield, but after 41 games for the Reds, and aged 20, Ibe left Liverpool to join Bournemouth for a Cherries club record fee of £15 million. The England under-21 international has made a fantastic start to life on the south coast under Eddie Howe. He played 11 games on loan at St Andrew’s back in 2014, scoring once.
Attacking Midfield: Jesse Lingard
Jesse Lingard celebrates scoring in the final of the FA Cup
A Manchester United regular and now a full England international, Jesse Lingard has had a fantastic last 18 months. Capable of playing as either a winger or attacking midfielder, it is through the middle that we are forced to deploy the former Birmingham loanee. Lingard was loaned to the Blues in 2013/14, scoring 4 goals on his debut and a total of 6 goals in 13 games.
Attacking Midfield: Mauro Zarate
A mercurial talent, Mauro Zarate joined Birmingham on-loan as a 21-year-old, a year after scoring the winning goal for Argentina in the FIFA U-20 World Cup final. During his 14 games at Birmingham, Zarate scored 4 goals, but the Blues were relegated, and Zarate joined Lazio the following season. Since then, he has starred for the likes of Inter Milan and West Ham, and is currently impressing in Serie A with Fiorentina.
Right Wing: Andros Townsend
Birmingham were one of nine teams Andros Townsend played for on-loan between 2009 and 2013. St Andrew’s was his second to last loan destination, and the winger played 15 games for the club, all in 2012, but failed to score. Since then, Townsend broke through at Tottenham, became an England international, joined Newcastle, got relegated with Newcastle and most recently joined Crystal Palace.
Centre-Forward: Chris Wood
Chris Wood celebrates scoring for Leeds United
Only Dwight Gayle, Tammy Abraham and Scott Hogan have scored more goals in the Championship so far this season than Leeds United striker Chris Wood. The New Zealand international has won 42 caps for his country, and is still only 24 years old. He joined Birmingham on-loan in 2011 as a 19-year-old, and had an impressive loan spell at the club, scoring 9 goals in 23 games.
Centre-Forward: Obafemi Martins
Now playing in the highly lucrative Chinese Super League, Obafemi Martins may be something of a journeyman, but he is fondly remembered by Birmingham City fans as the man who scored the winning goal in the 2011 League Cup final vs Arsenal. That was one of only 2 goals Martins scored for Birmingham, but he has scored regularly for many clubs across the course of his career, including the likes of Inter Milan, and is undoubtedly a quality player.
Honourable Mentions: Lukas Jutkiewicz, Jon Toral, Ryan Shotton, Albert Rusnak, Ravel Morrison, Jack Butland, Boaz Myhill, Scott Sinclair, Seb Larsson.
Which Birmingham City loanee impressed you the most during their time at St Andrew’s?
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