Birmingham City shot-stopper Neil Etheridge is currently earning around £23,000 per week at St Andrew's, according to last month's Patreon report from Alan Nixon.

He arguably earnt that amount of money during the second half of last season when he stepped in well for Matija Sarkic, who was forced to return to Wolverhampton Wanderers last winter following a season-ending injury.

With Etheridge due a pay rise if he makes a certain number of further appearances for the Midlands outfit though, that may be the key reason why John Eustace opted to bring in John Ruddy as his new first-choice shot-stopper.

One thing that has to be said is the fact it isn't the goalkeeper's fault that he's earning that much to sit on the bench, with the Blues' board deciding to give him that contract when he signed a four-year deal back in 2020.

He may be a talented keeper but to sign him on that wage for the long term was foolish, especially when considering he was handed that deal during the Covid-19 pandemic. And it's that type of contract that has probably hindered their ability to complete certain transfer deals ever since.

In fairness, they have managed to make some decent permanent additions with Tahith Chong and Emmanuel Longelo putting pen to paper on long-term deals this season.

But in their quest to abide by the EFL's profit and sustainability regulations, they will have needed to bear Etheridge's wage in mind.

£23,000 per week is a sizeable amount of money - and they could probably bring in three players for that amount if they negotiate sensibly - especially if they are recruiting from lower down the English football pyramid.

With this in mind and the fact the former Cardiff City shot-stopper isn't playing every week, they need to prioritise moving him out during the early stages of the summer window, something that could allow them to make a few early signings.

Under their current owners, they aren't likely to spend a huge amount they may need to sell someone like Etheridge before they do a significant amount in terms of incomings.

There was interest in him during the January window even though he hasn't played much this season, with Huddersfield Town and Stoke City previously thought to be keen on him, so they should be optimistic about a potential permanent or loan exit during the next window.

Of course his salary could be a barrier for other sides in their potential quest to recruit - but you feel the 32-year-old would be willing to take a big pay cut if that meant winning more first-team football elsewhere.

Utilising the loan market heavily in recent seasons, the money saved from Etheridge's potential departure could then be used to pay the wages of some of next season's loan signings.