Has Birmingham City’s Steve Cotterill appointment scuppered Derby County’s Maikel Kieftenbeld hopes?

Follow us on Google Discover

Derby County boss Gary Rowett confirmed the club would renew interest in Birmingham City midfielder Maikel Kieftenbeld in January.

Maikel Kieftenbeld made his first appearance for Birmingham City since his move to Derby County collapsed in September. And it’s no coincidence that the midfielder’s return coincided with one of The Blues’ best performances of the season so far.

In Steve Cotterill’s first game at the helm after replacing Harry Redknapp, Birmingham knocked Cardiff City off top spot in the Championship thanks to Che Adams’ well-taken winner at St Andrews.

But it was the performance of Kieftenbeld that caught the eye. The 27-year-old barely featured under Redknapp and, perhaps understandably, was left out of the recent 1-1 draw with Derby by caretaker manager Lee Carsley.

With the experienced Cotterill now in charge, however, the early signs are that Kieftenbeld can play a key role at Birmingham once again. The former Groningen midfielder, a regular in his first two seasons in The Midlands, made only his third start of the season against Neil Warnock’s Bluebirds and protected the back four with typical steel.

Derby hopes dashed?

Kieftenbeld could have been a Derby player, however, if a last minute deal had been done in time. According to the Derby Telegraph, the EFL refused to ratify the move before the paperwork was not completed in time – though Rams boss Gary Rowett insisted that Derby could return for Kieftenbeld in January.

“I think we will have to revisit the deal from a moral perspective and also from a perspective that the player would have given us something different,” Rowett told the Derby Telegraph. “It is a difficult one for him (Kieftenbeld) to have to go back.

“We will look at that again although he could get back in Birmingham’s team and do fantastic for them.”

And the early signs are that Rowett’s prediction could come true. If Kieftenbeld secures his place in the starting XI under Cotterill, the chances of Birmingham allowing Derby to revive the deal in January will look increasingly slim.