This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict’ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Birmingham City are facing some dilemmas this summer with some contracts expiring and they do not even know which league they will be in yet come August.

The likes of Alen Halilovic and Jon Toral will see their current deals come to an end at the end of the season, and another player who has been at the Blues for a while also faces a nervous wait to see where his future lies.

Right-back Josh Dacres-Cogley has been at Birmingham for 10 years now, but has found games hard to come by in his senior career, and has played just three times in the Championship in the current campaign

Should the Blues offer 24-year-old Dacres-Cogley a new deal though? The FLW team have had their say on the matter...

George Harbey

Only if it is completely necessary.

To say he’s nearly 25, Dacres-Cogley doesn’t have a huge amount of first-team experience and that worries me slightly.

He’s never really been a key player for Blues and has appeared for the club in strands, though he will have learnt a lot during his time at Crawley last season.

I really like Maxime Colin and I think Blues will do well to keep hold of him in years to come, so Cogley could be a long-term replacement for him.

But at the age of 24, will he want to stay or explore other options given his lack of game time?

 

 

 

 

Sean Makin

Whether Josh Dacres-Cogley stays at Birmingham City all depends on what division they are in next season. 

Relegation would be disastrous for the Blues but should the eventuality happen, they may need a player like Dacres-Cogley and it could be a break into a regular first-team spot.

The 24-year-old came through the club’s well-respected academy but has really become a bit-part player since breaking through into the first-team picture; making just 28 appearances in all competitions since 2016.

If Birmingham do stay in the Championship, I have a feeling that Dacres-Cogley will be released come the end of the season.

Sam Rourke

It's a tricky one.

Dacres-Cohley has struggled to maintain a consistent starting berth in the Birmingham City XI since breaking through, and is getting to the age now where he needs to be playing regularly.

He enjoyed a fairly fruitful stint at Crawley Town on loan in the 2019/20 season but his first-team chances under Karanka seem limited.

At 24, he does still have time to develop and mature as a player at St Andrew's but you feel he would have been more involved by now at the Blues.

A lot here will depend on who the manager is and if Karanka is still the Blues boss in a few months.

My gut feeling here though, is to perhaps move Dagres-Cogley on so he can seek frequent first-team game-time elsewhere.