Birmingham City will soon have to make a decision on the futures of a number of players.
As things stand, eight members of the first-team squad will be out of contract at St Andrew’s at the end of this season.
Blues will therefore have to decide which of those individuals they want to keep as part of Tony Mowbray‘s side for next season.
Of course, that may be influenced by how things work out in the relegation battle. Birmingham City are currently 21st in the Championship table, just one point clear of the bottom three.
One player who is set to be out of contract with the club in the summer is goalkeeper John Ruddy.
Now though, it seems the 37-year-old is determined to keep the club in the Championship, even if he is yet to hold talks over his future.
John Ruddy gives Birmingham City contract update
With just a couple of months to go until the end of the season, questions are being asked about the futures of a number of individuals.
One of those is Ruddy. The goalkeeper has so far made 80 appearances in all competitions for Birmingham City, since joining in the summer of 2022.
Asked about whether he has had any contact from the club about extending his deal, the one-time England international told The Birmingham Mail:
“Not really, no. I think there’s a number of players in the same situation with contracts and loan players.
“But for as long as we’re at this club we have to give 100 percent for this badge. It doesn’t matter what your situation is, no one wants a relegation on their CV – I certainly don’t. I’m coming towards the end of my career, the last thing I want is to be accountable for a relegation with a club this size.”
Next up for Birmingham City on the pitch, is a huge clash with Watford – who are currently without a manager – at St Andrew’s on Saturday afternoon.
Blues should look to keep John Ruddy
It would seem to make sense for the club to extend Ruddy’s contract if at all possible.
The 37-year-old has been their first choice goalkeeper for much of his time at St Andrew’s. He has also rarely let them down.
Indeed, his saves have kept them in games at times during this difficult recent run. As a result, he could be a useful asset for them to keep around for next season.
That is further enhanced when you consider these sort of comments he is making. This determined mindset is the sort you would want to see across a team.
Ruddy could therefore be a good example for the rest of the Birmingham City squad to look.
It has recently been suggested that Blues ought to be keeping Ruddy over fellow goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.
That does seem to solidify the idea that it could be worth handing a new deal to the 37-year-old.
Considering all of that, it will be interesting to see how things play out for Ruddy, with regards to his Birmingham City contract.