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 amongst the Championship clubs interested in offering Tom Flanagan a move into the second-tier of English football, according to Football Insider.

Flanagan is yet to agree a new deal with Sunderland, with Birmingham potentially able to land the 28-year-old on a free.

Here, our writers discuss whether the defender would be a good addition at St Andrew’s..

Ned Holmes  

I think this could be a really smart bit of business from the Blues.

For me, Flanagan has been overlooked a bit by the Black Cats in recent years, with the North East club regularly chopping and changing between central defenders.

The 28-year-old is a solid defender and someone that's relatively confident in possession, traits which could make him a useful addition to the Birmingham squad.

It looks as if the Northern Irishman could be set to become a free agent, which means the Championship club could be getting some real value for money by bringing him to St Andrew's.

We've seen in recent years that the Blues haven't had a whole lot of financial flexibility in the transfer market, so a move like this would represent a great bit of business for them.

Jacob Potter

I'm not convinced that he'd be good enough for the Blues.

Flanagan hasn't exactly been a world beater with Sunderland, and I think that there are better options out there for the Blues ahead of next year's campaign.

Sunderland are keen to keep him with the club as they've offered him a new deal, but I have my doubts as to whether he's good enough for the Championship at this moment in time.

If he did sign for Birmingham in the summer, then I would only see him being used on a rotational basis at best for the club.

However, given the fact that they're still yet to appoint a permanent manager ahead of the 2020/21 season, I don't think it would be a good move for both parties involved.

Quiz: The tricky 8-question Birmingham City trivia quiz: Can you get 8/8?

 

Sam Rourke  

On a free transfer, you can't argue with this.

Flanagan offers solidity and versatility in the backline, and Birmingham could definitely benefit from having the player as an option in the squad.

Of course, the only drawback in my eyes with Birmingham going for the player is that with Clotet heading for the exit door, and a new manager not in place, there is no guarantee that when the new boss arrives, he will utilise Flanagan.

But, going back to the first point, Flanagan showed in the final eight games for the Black Cats just how good he can be with him proving to be an excellent replacement for Joel Lynch, who was out with injury.

At 28-years-old, Flanagan also offers experience also with him being a member of the Northern Ireland national team, so for many teams, Birmingham included, it'd be a safe, solid option on a free.