Birmingham City boss makes revealing transfer admission afte
Sat Sep 05, 2020 8:12 am
Birmingham City boss makes revealing transfer admission after contacting Cardiff City over Neil Etheridge
The Blues manager has reiterated his desire to bring in another goalkeeper and the club have sounded out Cardiff City over potentially signing Neil Etheridge
As revealed on the Cardiff City Forum first
Saturday 5th September 2020
By Glen Williams
Neil Etheridge is a target for Birmingham City in this transfer window (Image: Getty Images)
Aitor Karanka has insisted Birmingham City are still in the market for a goalkeeper after making contact with Cardiff City over signing Neil Etheridge.
On Thursday, City boss Neil Harris revealed the Bluebirds have to trim their current crop of three goalkeepers down to two by the end of the current transfer window.
While he insisted Etheridge is still fighting for that No.1 jersey while he remains at the club, he conceded that, given he has fallen down the pecking order and has only 10 months left on his Bluebirds deal, it might make sense, both for the player and for the business, if the Philippines international was the one to leave.
Championship rivals Birmingham are one of a number of clubs in the division in recent weeks to have sounded out the Bluebirds over potentially signing Etheridge.
Birmingham signed Andres Prieto from Espanyol and many thought that might have put paid to Birmingham's interest in Etheridge, however Karanka's latest comments mean a deal for the City stopper might still be on the cards.
“For sure, more players will come – we are not in a hurry, we have four, five, six weeks to bring players in and to send players out," the manager told BirminghamLive.
“When you are calm and when you know you are in the right place you are not in a hurry, you just need to do the right things.
“The intention is to bring another one [goalkeeper] because I am pleased with Zach [Jeacock] but we think he needs to play games and those games I don’t think he is ready to play Championship.
“I would prefer for him to get confidence playing more games and he can be a really good goalkeeper. He is training really well but we are looking for another goalkeeper.
“We have a few names but the market now is completely different to other years, I am not in a hurry because we are covered with Andres, we are covered with Zach.
“I don’t want to make the mistake to bring one soon and then regret because he wasn’t the right one.”
Asked if Neil Etheridge, Cardiff's Player of the Season while in the Premier League, and Charlton keeper Dillon Phillips are among the names he declined to answer.
“It is the first press conference I am not going to start saying names because we have six weeks ahead of us to speak about names.”
Harris, meanwhile, said Etheridge had been training brilliantly during pre-season and is in great condition ahead of the campaign, whether that be in a Cardiff City shirt or that of another club.
When asked about whether Etheridge had given Harris any indication over whether he wants to leave or stay, the manager said:
NEIL HARRIS:
"Where he has been really honest is that he’s got 10 months left of his contract and he's had transfer windows where he has been linked with moves away and it hasn't quite happened
"He has found himself out the team in the three months before the start of this season and he wants to play football.
"It’s not he’s demanding a transfer, but the reality of having three senior goalkeepers, we need to make that into two.
"If someone has got a value in one transfer window which might disappear in the future, then you have to look at it from a business perspective as well.
"We will just all have to see what unfolds in the coming weeks."
The Blues manager has reiterated his desire to bring in another goalkeeper and the club have sounded out Cardiff City over potentially signing Neil Etheridge
As revealed on the Cardiff City Forum first
Saturday 5th September 2020
By Glen Williams
Neil Etheridge is a target for Birmingham City in this transfer window (Image: Getty Images)
Aitor Karanka has insisted Birmingham City are still in the market for a goalkeeper after making contact with Cardiff City over signing Neil Etheridge.
On Thursday, City boss Neil Harris revealed the Bluebirds have to trim their current crop of three goalkeepers down to two by the end of the current transfer window.
While he insisted Etheridge is still fighting for that No.1 jersey while he remains at the club, he conceded that, given he has fallen down the pecking order and has only 10 months left on his Bluebirds deal, it might make sense, both for the player and for the business, if the Philippines international was the one to leave.
Championship rivals Birmingham are one of a number of clubs in the division in recent weeks to have sounded out the Bluebirds over potentially signing Etheridge.
Birmingham signed Andres Prieto from Espanyol and many thought that might have put paid to Birmingham's interest in Etheridge, however Karanka's latest comments mean a deal for the City stopper might still be on the cards.
“For sure, more players will come – we are not in a hurry, we have four, five, six weeks to bring players in and to send players out," the manager told BirminghamLive.
“When you are calm and when you know you are in the right place you are not in a hurry, you just need to do the right things.
“The intention is to bring another one [goalkeeper] because I am pleased with Zach [Jeacock] but we think he needs to play games and those games I don’t think he is ready to play Championship.
“I would prefer for him to get confidence playing more games and he can be a really good goalkeeper. He is training really well but we are looking for another goalkeeper.
“We have a few names but the market now is completely different to other years, I am not in a hurry because we are covered with Andres, we are covered with Zach.
“I don’t want to make the mistake to bring one soon and then regret because he wasn’t the right one.”
Asked if Neil Etheridge, Cardiff's Player of the Season while in the Premier League, and Charlton keeper Dillon Phillips are among the names he declined to answer.
“It is the first press conference I am not going to start saying names because we have six weeks ahead of us to speak about names.”
Harris, meanwhile, said Etheridge had been training brilliantly during pre-season and is in great condition ahead of the campaign, whether that be in a Cardiff City shirt or that of another club.
When asked about whether Etheridge had given Harris any indication over whether he wants to leave or stay, the manager said:
NEIL HARRIS:
"Where he has been really honest is that he’s got 10 months left of his contract and he's had transfer windows where he has been linked with moves away and it hasn't quite happened
"He has found himself out the team in the three months before the start of this season and he wants to play football.
"It’s not he’s demanding a transfer, but the reality of having three senior goalkeepers, we need to make that into two.
"If someone has got a value in one transfer window which might disappear in the future, then you have to look at it from a business perspective as well.
"We will just all have to see what unfolds in the coming weeks."