John Ruddy appears to have a choice of clubs this summer. Birmingham City appears to be in for a transitional era during this summer’s transfer window.
Following their relegation from the Championship to League One at the end of last season, you may expect some incomings and outgoings from the first-team squad this summer.
This sparked conjecture about the futures of several people with club connections, including John Ruddy.
As things stand, the goalkeeper will be out of contract with Birmingham City this summer after two seasons at St Andrew’s, where he made 89 appearances across all competitions.
The Blues stated in their end-of-season retained list that they had offered the 37-year-old a new contract.
However, it looks that they may have competition for his services from one of the clubs with which they will compete in the third tier next season.
A League One club is interested in signing John Ruddy.
According to Football Insider, Charlton Athletic have started early negotiations about signing Ruddy this summer. The Addicks finished 16th in League One last season, following a period of improved play following the arrival of Nathan Jones in February.
As a result, they, like Birmingham, will most likely aim to gain promotion back to the Championship in the 2024/25 season.
It could be a loss for the Blues if Ruddy leaves for Charlton this summer, though the arrival of Ryan Allsop at St Andrew’s may help to counterbalance that.
In contrast, it could be argued that Charlton winning the hunt for Ruddy is more of a problem for Blackburn Rovers, who are already due to compete in the Championship next season.
John Ruddy has already been linked with a move to Ewood Park.
According to reports dating back to April, Blackburn are also interested in signing Ruddy this summer.
Indeed, the Lancashire club may need to consider signing a new goalkeeper during the current transfer season.
During the 2023/24 season, both of their senior goalkeepers, Aynsley Pears and Leo Wahlstedt, made costly blunders as they narrowly averted relegation to League One. Given that they appear to have been in the running for the ex-England goalkeeper for some time and can give him the option to stay in the Championship, Blackburn’s transfer hopes may suffer if they are unable to persuade him to join them over a move to a lower-league club.
If that is the case, it may create some issues about completing deals at Ewood Park, especially given that Rovers are now led by Ruddy’s former Birmingham boss, John Eustace.
The Lancashire club appears to have a lot going for them if they want to sign Ruddy this summer, however there may be some concerns if they do not, given their apparent need for a ‘keeper.
Of course, between now and the end of the transfer window, Blackburn may believe they have other more acceptable targets than the 37-year-old.
However, given that Charlton have already signed one goalkeeper in Will Mannion, if they can sign a second in Ruddy before Rovers do, it may raise questions about why agreements aren’t being completed, adding to their market pressure.
There is clearly still plenty of time in the window to conduct business, but no club wants to be left scrambling late when their top targets and options have already been secured.
With that in mind, fans of a Blackburn Rovers persuasion may well be following the Ruddy situation with a keen eye, to see if it provides them some indication of how the summer may play out at Ewood Park.
Leave a Reply