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 manager Pep Clotet has had some good news ahead of the kick-off of the new Championship season, with captain Harlee Dean signing a new four-year contract with the club, as confirmed by the club.

The 28-year-old centre-back, who had one year remaining on his previous deal, will now remain at St Andrew's until the summer of 2023, having made 82 appearances for the Blues since joining the club from Brentford in August 2017.

So is the new deal for Dean, a key bit of business for the Blues this summer?

We discuss........

Louie Chandler

"This is a really crucial deal.

"Michael Morrison departing was a definite blow, so maintaining as much of that defensive line as possible became a priority afterwards.

"So tying somebody as influential as Dean down to a new deal will be a significant boost to all at the club and their supporters.

"I still suspect they will struggle a lot this season after the upheaval at St. Andrew's this summer, but this is a definite step in the right direction."

Chris Gallagher

"This is fantastic news for Blues and Pep Clotet.

"After losing Michael Morrison it was vital they kept Dean as not only is a he top defender at this level but he is a leader and he will have big responsibilities this season.

"He is a respected figure at the club now and will need to step up to help Jake Clarke-Salter, his likely centre-back partner, throughout the year.

"After a summer of uncertainty it was vital Blues moved quickly to keep hold of their key, senior players and Dean following Lukas Jutkiewicz in committing his future to the club is massive. He will now be looking for the side to kick-on and they will fancy their chances of causing a shock this season."

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Toby Wilding

"I think this is a really good move from Birmingham.

"Dean is a really solid defender at this level, and his presence in their backline will provide a huge boost to them for the coming campaign, as evidenced by his appointment as club captain for next season.

"Securing his future long term therefore looks to have brought a long term element of stability to Birmingham's defence going forward, and that could be vital given the fact that their attack has been weakened this summer following the departure of Che Adams.

"In spite of everything that has gone on with regards to management and finances in the early part of the year, Birmingham look to have had a fairly impressive summer transfer window in terms of signings, and this is certainly a big part of that."