Marc Leonard speaks fondly of his time at Cobblers and 'looking forward' to reunion after move to Birmingham City

The midfielder was superb across two seasons at Sixfields and became a favourite among supporters, but he was never likely to stay for a third campaign given the clubs that were interested in his services.

Championship clubs were linked but Birmingham have managed to seal a permanent move for Leonard, who’s signed a four-year contract, although he only had positive things to say about his time with Northampton.

"I improved loads,” said Leonard. “I was racking up as many games and as many minutes as possible. There wasn't much else I could've asked for in a loan. I loved it there, it was really good. I'm looking forward to playing them this year.

"I can bring a little bit of experience having been in this league last year, but the group we're putting together here is going to be really successful. I'll always give my all, that's a given. Speaking to the manager, that's something everybody here is going to be doing this year. It's going to be exciting."

Leonard says he ‘pushed’ to get the deal done despite interest from the Championship. He told BluesTV: "I'm over the moon, delighted. As soon as I had my first conversation with the club, I knew it was where I wanted to be. We worked hard to get it through, I'm here now and I'm so looking forward to it. It's an honour to be here.

"I was really pushing to get the deal done. I knew Birmingham were the team I wanted to play for. It is a relief because it was a long process but I'm so glad to be here now. In the initial conversations, where I'm at now in my career and where Birmingham are, our ambitions really align with each other.

"The ambition of both myself and club, having spoken to the manager and Craig, we're all pushing in the same direction and we all want to reach the highest level possible. That was the main key - the ambition, it came together positively. The size of the club, I knew I'd have to take the opportunity. It was a no brainer."