Birmingham City set to loan out midfielder after promotion to the Championship
Birmingham City are considering allowing Marc Leornad to leave on loan next season, according to reports.
The news will no doubt excite Cobblers supporters, who fell in love with the classy Scottish midfielder during his two outstanding seasons at Sixfields, however former Sky Sports journalist, and generally reliable reporter, Pete O'Rourke has suggested that several Championship clubs are interested in the 23-year-old. He posted on social media: “Birmingham City midfielder Marc Leonard is a loan target for of a number of Championship clubs with the Blues open to loaning him out.”
Leonard played 97 times across two years on loan at Northampton from Brighton, winning the club’s Player of the Season award by a massive margin in 2023/24. He became a huge favourite at Sixfields and subsequently earned a move to big-spending Birmingham last summer, only to struggle for regular game-time in City’s star-studded, all-conquering team.
Whilst he racked up 47 appearances across all competitions, only 14 were starts in the league as the Blues romped to the League One title by a record-breaking margin, with Paik Seung-ho and Tomoki Iwata often preferred ahead of him in midfield. And with more signings expected this summer ahead of Birmingham’s return to the Championship, Leonard could find himself further down the pecking order next season.
Cobblers will no doubt enquire as to Leonard’s availability and his close relationship with the club won’t harm their chances, but he’ll likely to be looking at a move to a team in the second tier, or at least the top end of League One.