Goalkeeper Connal Trueman has revealed that he is still gutted by the fact that he is set to leave Birmingham City upon the expiry of his contract next month.

As confirmed by the club's official website last week, the 26-year-old is one of eight players who the Blues have decided to part ways with.

Jeremie Bela, Renedi Masampu, Archie Matthews, Kristian Pedersen, Oriol Soldevila, Kane Thompson-Sommers and Yoane Zohore are also set to move on to pastures new.

Following the arrival of Matija Sarkic last summer, Trueman slipped down the pecking order at St Andrew's.

The keeper had a brief stint at Oxford United during the previous campaign as he played two games for the club before returning to Birmingham.

Despite the fact that Sarkic's loan spell was cut short due to injury, Trueman only made one appearance for the Blues in the second half of the season due to the presence of Neil Etheridge.

Set to become a free-agent in June, Trueman has admitted that he is currently weighing up whether to try and secure a move to another Championship side or join a team in a lower division.

Speaking to Birmingham Live, the keeper said: "It’s a bit emotional.

"I am a bit gutted still, although I think I am getting towards the end of that now.

"The last game of the season was emotional, 15 years and 15 formative years too, from the age of 11, those are real crucial years to who you are as a person.

"The club has played a massive part in who I am today.

"To be walking away from that, or leaving that, is not an easy thing."

 

 

Trueman later added: "The idea is to go and play, to prove myself and go and have a career, it’s just about finding the right fit.

"Whether that be in the Championship to compete and back myself to get the shirt ahead of someone else, or dropping down and being the No. 1.

"I don’t know.

"Those are the conversations we are having at the moment.

"It’s a big decision where I go next and I want to make sure I get it right."

The Verdict

When you consider that Trueman is a product of Birmingham's youth academy, it is hardly a surprise that he is still feeling emotional about leaving the club.

Limited to just 15 senior appearances during his time at St Andrew's, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the keeper.

In order to prevent his career from stalling, it could be argued that Trueman ought to be aiming to secure a move to a team in a lower division instead of becoming a back-up option for another Championship side.

The keeper could potentially make strides in terms of his development under the guidance of the right manager next season.