It’s been such a disappointing Sky Bet Championship campaign at Birmingham City this season.  

The club currently sit 20th in the Sky Bet Championship standings and are left feeling embarrassed following their 6-1 defeat to Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on Easter Monday.  

This season’s performance and that defeat away at Blackpool has seen Blues’ boss Lee Bowyer’s job security under threat in recent days, with questions and doubts arising over his future as head coach.  

Only time will tell what happens in the dugout, but whoever is in charge next season, be it Bowyer or somebody new, they have a big job on their hands this summer, deciding which players to keep and have as part of the squad going forwards, and which ones have run their course at St. Andrews. 

With that being said, here, we’ve picked out eight players at Birmingham City that we think could be heading for the St. Andrews exit door this summer. 

One player that could be on his way out of Birmingham City this summer and comes under a release because his contract is due to expire is Danish defender Kristian Pedersen.

Pedersen joined the Blues back in 2018 and has gone on to make 160 appearances for the club so far.

This season, Pedersen has made 36 Championship appearances, but as yet, the Blues have been unable to tie him up on a new deal.

As a result, he’s one of the eight players we think is on their way out at the club this summer.Another player whose contract is set to expire at St. Andrews this summer is Jeremie Bela, but we expect the Blues to sell him this summer.

That’s because Bela reportedly has a one-year extension that can be triggered on his deal, which would see him remain at St. Andrews until 2023.

Given that Bela has turned down a new deal at the Blues, and if his stance on that remains the same, Blues will surely look to cash in on the man that has made 29 Championship appearances this campaign by triggering his extension and selling him this summer.

Another player that will likely be sold by Birmingham City this summer is Ivan Sanchez.

Sanchez joined the Blues back in 2020 and has made 44 appearances for the club during his time there so far.

This season, however, he made just two Championship appearances before being loaned out to Real Valladolid in the Spanish second tier.

Valladolid reportedly have an option to buy on Sanchez’s loan deal and his Blues contract is up in 2023, so it looks like he will be leaving the club one way or another this summer.

Harlee Dean is yet another Blues player currently on loan away from the club that is looking likely to be exiting St. Andrews permanently this summer. 

Dean fell out of favour at Blues this season and is currently on loan at League One side Sheffield Wednesday. 

Dean has spoken recently about his Birmingham career being over and also recently claimed he would be leaving the club on a free transfer this summer, despite being contracted there until 2023. 

Potentially a controversial one here, but George Friend is another player that Birmingham City could consider moving on this summer.

Friend is unquestionably a talented player, but recently has suffered with injuries, and at 34 years old, he is not getting any younger.

Friend has made 12 Championship appearances this season and was a regular in the Blues backline before his injury, but he has taken a long time to get over this one and it could be that Birmingham want somebody they can rely on at the back going forwards.

Another player not currently at the club that could also leave this summer is Jonathan Leko. 

Leko is currently on loan in League One at Charlton Athletic where he has made 25 league appearances, scoring twice and assisting three times.  

Leko’s Blues contract is up in 2023, meaning the club need to make a decision on the 22-year-old this summer – strike a new contract, sell, or risk losing him for free next year.  

For that reason, we think Leko could leave Blues in the next transfer window. 

Connal Trueman is another player that could be heading for the St. Andrews exit door when the next transfer window opens.  

Trueman’s contract is up at the end of this season and being the reserve goalkeeper, he has made just two league appearances for the club this summer.  

Having been at the club since 2007 it would be hard for Trueman to leave, but given he has only made 14 league appearances for the Blues, it may be time to move on for his career’s sake. 

Last but not least, Lukas Jutkiewicz is the last player of the eight we can see leaving Birmingham City this summer. 

Like some others on this list, Jutkiewicz’s contract is up come the summer and at 33-years-old, it may be that the Blues decide it is to move on.  

It must be said though, that Jutkiewicz has played a big part this season, making 36 league appearances for the Blues.  

With little time left in the season, it looks like the 33-year-old is on his way out, but he certainly would leave a gap that needs filling for Birmingham next season.