The Blues could be setting themselves up for an awkward couple of years if they don’t get this deal right.
Reports are coming in from Football Insider that Birmingham are in talks with Connal Trueman over a new deal. The 23-year-old is entering the final year of his current contract, and according to BirminghamLive, the plan is extend his deal, then send him out on loan to gain experience.
With veterans David Stockdale and Lee Camp both in the last years of their respective deals as well, it would seem like a smart move, getting a goalkeeper locked down for the future, be it on a three or four-year deal.
I’ve made my stance about the goalkeeping position pretty clear in the past, not just in the battle between David Stockdale and Lee Camp, but also about how the position should look for the next few years, given the seemingly imminent arrival of Mohamed Ramos.
If both deals do come through, Birmingham are just going to find themselves in the same situation next year. This time though, instead of working out whether Camp or Stockdale should be number one, it will be between Ramos and Trueman. That’s not to say that this is a flat out bad move that the club should pull the plug on immediately, but they just need to be careful with how they carry it out.
Personally I think this should be a ‘sign him to sell him’ kind of situation. This year should basically be the test year for both of them. Send Trueman out on loan, keep Ramos in the fold and give him the odd game in the cups and towards the end of the season (assuming there’s no relegation battle to be had), then next summer, sell Trueman and make Ramos the number one.
At 23, Trueman hasn’t exactly made any inroads in his career, with only six appearances in senior football. At that age you’d think that he’d have more senior games under his belt. Compare that to England number one Jordan Pickford, who had played plenty of times by that age. Whereas with Ramos being only 19-years-old, you still get a few years to make up your mind if he’s your keeper for the future.
Unless Trueman can make a serious impression on loan, then his time at his club should be over. Ramos was brought in for the future, and that future should only be 12 months away.
