Bacuna, Burke, Hogan: The 15 players Birmingham City binned after relegation and what followed
Birmingham City offloaded 15 players last year after the club suffered relegation to League One
Birmingham City's squad was completely overhauled last summer after relegation from the Championship.
New manager Chris Davies arrived in June and proceeded to rip up the squad he inherited before making 17 new signings. Those decisions were vindicated as Blues raced to the League One title with a record 111 points.
Only Ethan Laird, Krystian Bielik, Lee Buchanan, Paik Seung-ho, Keshi Anderson, Lukas Jutkiewicz and Jay Stansfield - who was signed on a permanent deal from Fulham following his loan move - survived the cull.
A number of players left the club on loan during last season but 15 were disposed of for good. Here is what has happened to the 15 players who left Blues last year...
Released
John Ruddy
Ruddy was offered a contract by Blues but turned it down in favour of a move to Newcastle United. He has been part of a five-man goalkeeping union at Newcastle this season and hasn’t played a minute in any competition.
Neil Etheridge
Philippines international Etheridge has helped Buriram United to their fourth straight Thai league title.
After two seasons warming the bench at St Andrew’s, Etheridge was an ever-present between the sticks for Buriram, playing all 30 league games and only conceding 20 goals.
Marc Roberts
Roberts ended up in League One too with Barnsley and played against Blues twice for the Tykes. Ironically, Roberts assisted a goal for Barnsley in their 6-2 defeat to Blues in April with one of the long throw-ins that were much maligned at St Andrew’s.
Gary Gardner
The Brummie midfielder didn’t play a minute for Cambridge United due to a succession of injuries and has only started seven games in the last three seasons. It was recently announced that Gardner will leave Cambridge by mutual consent this summer.
Ivan Sunjic
Sunjic moved to Cyprus to sign for Pafos FC and has been an important player in their title-winning season. The midfielder has recently switched his international allegiances from Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country of his birth.
Scott Hogan
Hogan is one of four ex-Blues players on the books of League Two side MK Dons – Connal Trueman, Jonathan Leko and Dan Crowley are too. The striker scored eight goals in 34 matches for Dons last season and will now be managed by Paul Warne.
The loanees
Emanuel Aiwu
The daring defender sealed a transfer to Sturm Graz last summer after Blues politely declined their option to sign him permanently from Cremonese.
Aiwu has been a fixture in Sturm Graz’s line-up and they are on the verge of another Austrian title.
He started six Champions League games and their defensive performance wasn’t abysmal, albeit they did lose five of those matches to finish 30th out of 36 in the league phase.
Cody Drameh
It was another season fighting at the foot of the Championship for Drameh, this time with a Hull City side that survived on the final day.
Drameh made another 28 appearances in the Championship but faces an uncertain summer after Hull owner Acun Illicali sacked manager Ruben Selles.
Andre Dozzell
Touted as a midfielder with Premier League potential by Tony Mowbray, Dozzell largely disappointed in Blues’ colours. He was handed a Championship lifeline by newly-promoted Portsmouth and helped them to a 16th-placed finish.
Dozzell played 39 league games for Portsmouth last season and they have extended his contract by a further year.
Oliver Burke
Everyone will remember Burke being booed at Rotherham and subsequently hooked at half-time by Gary Rowett. Burke was playing no worse than usual but Blues fans had had enough.
Werder Bremen didn’t plan to use Burke when he returned to Germany but the Scot stuck around and eventually played his way into the starting line-up.
Burke has contributed six goals in 27 appearances for Bremen and they tried to extend his contract before it was announced in April that he will depart. The 28-year-old has signed for fellow Bundesliga club Union Berlin.
Sold in the summer
Alex Pritchard
Pritchard was swiftly moved on following relegation having made minimal impact. Blues sold the midfielder to Turkish side Sivasspor and his first season will end in another relegation if they don’t pull out some results in the final four matches.
The 32-year-old has provided four assists in 19 Super Lig matches for Sivasspor who are three points from safety.
Juninho Bacuna
Bacuna rejected a move to Sivasspor in favour of a transfer to Saudi Arabia with Al-Wehda. There’s been three goals and three assists in 29 games for Bacuna, who is at last playing in his preferred midfield position now, and Al-Wehda are on course to stay in the Saudi Pro League.
Jordan James
All of James’ Christmases came at once when Rennes sacked Julien Stéphan in November. Stéphan barely played the midfielder but his successors, first Jorge Sampaoli and now Habib Beye, have taken a shine to the 20-year-old Wales international.
James has played 22 games in Ligue 1 and Rennes are on course for a mid-table finish.
Koji Miyoshi
The popular Japanese winger started the season at Blues and made a few appearances in League One before being sold to German side Bochum at the end of the transfer window.
Miyoshi has been a bit-part player for Bochum, playing just 18 matches, and has as many red cards this season as goals (1). Bochum have finished bottom of the Bundesliga and Miyoshi is set to play second tier football again next season.
Siriki Dembele
When Chris Davies hooked Dembele at half-time on the opening day of last season you got the feeling that was the end for him at Blues and his departure duly followed.
Oxford gave Dembele a Championship lifeline and he was reunited with Gary Rowett midway through last season. While it wasn’t a successful combination at Blues, they have made it work for Oxford with Dembele making 15 league starts and a further 10 outings off the bench.