Plymouth Argyle seem to have fallen behind in the race to sign Brighton & Hove Albion’s Marc Leonard, with Alan Nixon reporting via his Patreon that Birmingham City have entered talks with the midfielder.
The Blues are set to be playing in England’s third tier for the first time since 1995 after their final day relegation from the Championship. After a positive start under manager John Eustace, the board decided to replace the now-Blackburn Rovers boss with Wayne Rooney, a move which would ultimately massively backfire.
They’ll be looking for an immediate return to the Championship but will have to recruit well if they wants to do just that in what looks to be a wide open League One renewal. Signing Marc Leonard would be a huge step in the right direction and the midfielder is a very exciting prospect.
Having spent the entirety of the 2023/24 season on loan with Northampton Town, Leonard is already proven at the level and excelled during his time at Sixfields. The 22-year-old would scoop a whole host of accolades at the club’s end of season awards after racking up an impressive five goals and six assists in League One whilst also starting all 46 games.
It’s a huge loss for the Cobblers given that he is now returning to Brighton and are priced out of a move for the midfielder. However their loss will be someone else’s gain and Leonard has already been touted with making the step-up to the Championship.
It had previously been reported by the Football Insider that Cardiff City , Preston North Endand Plymouth had all displayed an interest in the youngster. A move to the latter may have been the most attractive given that it had the potential for the most starting minutes. Furthering that, the Pilgrims also have a proven track record of nurturing and progressing young talent and it could’ve been a move that worked out for both parties.
Rated at around the £400,000 mark by Transfermarkt, Leonard wouldn’t exactly come cheap but given his performances as well as being heavily out-of-favour at his parent club, a move for first team football is a necessity this summer.
Alan Nixon reports that Birmingham want to make him their first summer signing and look to now be the likeliest landing spot for the 22-year-old. Although that would mean he’d once again be playing in the third tier, the Blues are an one of the more ambitious clubs in League One as well as being backed by new ownership and will be looking to progress back into the second division at the first time of asking.
Writer’s View
It’ll perhaps come as a slight surprise if Leonard doesn’t play in the Championship next season but he could become the key man at Birmingham as they look to rebuild. They’ll no doubt be putting an attractive offer towards both him and Brighton in order to capture his signature ahead of the likes of Plymouth.
For the Pilgrims, they know that they cannot compete with the majority of the other clubs in division from a budget standpoint, as well as evidently a few in the league below. Nonetheless, they’ve recruited well in the past, uncovering some hidden gems in the process and will look to do that once again this summer.
They may well miss out on the 22-year-old but expect them to be in for another up-and-coming midfielder when the window opens.
Senior Editor
