Number one goalkeeper Matija Sarkic's season is over due to a dislocated shoulder and the 24-year-old will return to his parent club Wolverhampton Wanderers as a result.

Sarkic produced numerous impressive performances in the first half of the season, keeping ten clean sheets and establishing himself as the club's main glovesman ahead of Neil Etheridge and Connal Trueman.

Birmingham City are precariously placed looking over their shoulders a touch at the eight point gap between themselves and the relegation zone.

At the moment, they are quite comfortable and have a realistic goal domestically having not finished above 17th place in any of the previous five seasons.

However, if one of the current bottom three, Peterborough United, Barnsley and Derby County, can break the mould and re-ignite the relegation battle then the Blues' recent form suggests they could get dragged into it.

Here, we have taken a look at three potential Matija Sarkic replacements that Birmingham should target this month...

Jed Steer

Aston Villa backup goalkeeper Jed Steer has worked with Lee Bowyer before in his time at Charlton Athletic and could provide a local option to replace Sarkic.

The Montenegrin vacates a loan slot that Steer could fill and despite being the main competition to Emiliano Martinez at Villa Park, with a recall clause inserted, it could prove beneficial for both parties to give the 29-year-old some consistent game time.

Bradley Collins

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Lee Bowyer has not received any money to spend so far in the job, however if the Blues wanted to pursue a keeper who could be the club's number one for a long time then they should look no further than Bradley Collins.

The Chelsea academy graduate has been one of the most impressive shot stoppers in the division this term with Barnsley where his contract runs out in the summer of 2023.

Given the Tykes' extremely bleak league position, the Blues represent a much greater chance of second tier football next season that could be enticing for the 24-year-old.

It would buck the trend of their recent transfer business but, Collins would be an ideal candidate to replace Sarkic at St Andrew's.

 

 

Neil Etheridge - no replacement necessary

As number two goalkeepers go, not many clubs in the Championship boast a better and more experienced glovesman than Neil Etheridge.

The Philippines international capped an outstanding 2018/19 season with Cardiff City in the Premier League but has seen his career stagnate a touch due to injury since.

The 31-year-old has an enormous frame and is very commanding in the 18-yard box. It has been a surprise to see him used so sparingly so far this season despite some tricky moments on the pitch, with Connal Trueman bringing competition for places there is no reason why Etheridge cannot be a key player in Bowyer's men kicking on to push for a top half finish in the second half of the campaign.