Young Scottish centre back should choose The Blues as his next club in the upcoming transfer window
Birmingham City has clearly earned a reputation for developing young players in recent years.
The Bellingham brothers and Jordan James have all progressed through Birmingham’s youth ranks in recent years, so given the club’s growing reputation as a great destination for young players, in-demand Scottish defender Darryl Carrick should make the cross-border move to St. Andrews.
The Blues are thought to be interested in the Scotsman, which makes great sense. He’s a brilliant talent, and Birmingham appear to prefer youth at the back, with only one defender over the age of 30 in Marc Roberts.
Current manager Tony Mowbray, who is due to return in the summer after being sidelined by illness, places a strong focus on playing younger players and giving academy graduates with a good road into first team action.
During his time at Sunderland, the seasoned coach’s average starting XI age was about 23, putting his sides among the youngest seen in the Championship since its inception.
Furthermore, according to Transfermarkt, the Blues’ defence corps has an average age of 23.56, indicating that Carrick would be entering an excellent environment in which to settle.
The young Scotsman has certainly caught the eye this season while playing for Queens Park at juvenile level, with his dominant displays inspiring Birmingham scouts to attend the under-18s’ Easter Friday match against St Mirren, which Queens Park won 2-1.
The hot prospect has also been on the fringes of the Scottish first team for some time, bolstering his reputation as a future star. While he has not yet made the step up to senior level, it appears that his performances will warrant a debut before the season ends in Scotland.
It’s no surprise that teams in England and Scotland are reportedly interested in him, but Birmingham’s recent success with other young players makes it an excellent option.
Despite not having a spectacular season on the pitch, as they presently lie inside the Championship relegation zone, there are still plenty of reasons to smile when it comes to Birmingham’s growth Young players.
Current first-teamers George Hall and James have returned their managers’ faith in recent years, with their on-field performances translating into off-field rewards.
Hall won the club’s young player of the year award in 2022/23 and has made only a few appearances this season, owing to injuries.
Meanwhile, James is up for Championship Young Player of the Year after making 39 appearances for the Blues this season and scoring eight goals.
The duo is not only garnering plaudits; they are also attracting the attention of top-tier clubs in England and abroad.
Hall’s contract was supposed to expire this summer, which would have benefited Leeds United and West Ham United, two of the clubs reportedly interested in the young midfielder – but the Blues have subsequently signed him down to a term that will now expire in 2026.
More recently, James has piqued the interest of Italian Serie A club Atalanta, and, despite holding off interest in him throughout January, the Midlands club will face a difficult task in keeping him in the summer window, especially if he wins an award and continues his stellar season from midfield, with clubs in England now also vying for the young midfielder.
This is not to mention Jude Bellingham, who, only three years after leaving Birmingham, received The Golden Boy award in 2023, which is given to the finest male under-21 footballer playing in the top European divisions over the course of one year.
The England international had moved from the Blues to German side Borussia Dortmund, where he honed his craft alongside Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho, before being sold to Real Madrid for a fee believed to be around £88.5 million, according to Sky Sports, with add-ons potentially pushing the fee above £115 million.
According to The Athletic, the deal with the German team had a sell-on clause of just over 5%, implying that when Bellingham moved last summer, Birmingham would have received just over five million pounds.
As a result, if Birmingham is successful in signing Carrick and he lives up to his tremendous promise, the club might have yet another award winner on their hands, and most likely a player worth a substantial fee.
