Birmingham City submits a 25-man squad to the EFL, with Chris Davies omitting two players.

Birmingham City have officially submitted their 25-man squad to the EFL following the closure of the transfer window, with manager Chris Davies forced to leave two senior players out of his selection for the opening half of the Championship campaign.

Marc Leonard and Scott Wright are the two notable omissions from the squad registered by Blues on Wednesday. The decision was required because Birmingham were unable to move on every player they wanted to before the transfer deadline, leaving Davies with more senior professionals than the 25-man limit allows.

Birmingham City manager Chris Davies

There are currently 27 senior players under contract at St Andrew’s, meaning two players had to be excluded from the list. Leonard’s omission was largely expected because the midfielder remains sidelined after suffering a serious Achilles injury in April. His rehabilitation means he is not expected to return to action until the New Year, making his absence from the squad unavoidable.

Wright, however, finds himself in a different situation. The 29-year-old winger has been left out because Birmingham strengthened their options in his position during the transfer window. As a result, he has been squeezed out of the registered squad despite remaining with the club.

Wright joined Birmingham from Rangers two years ago, although his time at St Andrew’s has been heavily affected by fitness problems. Injuries disrupted much of his first 18 months with the club, while he spent the second half of the previous campaign away on loan with Dundee.

After returning to Birmingham during pre-season, Wright was given limited opportunities to impress. He appeared as a late substitute during Blues’ Carabao Cup victory over Swansea City in early August and was also included among the substitutes for the trip to Wrexham.

His exclusion from the Championship squad now leaves Wright facing an uncertain few months. Unless he can arrange a move to a country where the transfer window remains open, he could potentially spend around four months without senior first-team football.

Davies confirmed that Leonard had been omitted but stressed that the decision was purely connected to his injury situation.

“Marc Leonard has been omitted but he’s unavailable due to injury,” the Birmingham manager explained. He also praised the midfielder’s work behind the scenes during his recovery, adding that Leonard has been progressing well away from the pitch.

Davies then addressed Wright’s omission and made it clear that the decision was based on the balance of the squad rather than any disciplinary or personal issue.

“Scott Wright has missed out. Unfortunately for Scott, it’s positional,” Davies said. “Bringing in another winger has meant that he’s missed out on the squad.”

The manager also stressed that Wright remains highly regarded within the dressing room. He described the winger as a “fantastic guy” who continues to give everything despite not being included among the 25 registered players.

When asked about Wright’s immediate prospects, Davies suggested there are several possible routes available. Much could depend on whether the player is able to find an opportunity elsewhere while certain international transfer windows remain open.

“There’s a few possibilities there,” Davies said, explaining that the situation would depend significantly on Wright’s own decisions. He suggested that the next couple of weeks should provide greater clarity regarding what happens next.

If Wright cannot secure a move abroad, Davies indicated that the winger will remain around the club and could feature for Birmingham’s Under-21 side to maintain his fitness and sharpness. The manager believes that would allow him to stay active until the next transfer window opens, when he could then explore another opportunity.

Meanwhile, Davies has also confirmed that Lee Buchanan remains part of his plans despite Birmingham making changes to their defensive options on deadline day.

Buchanan will provide additional cover at both left-back and centre-back following the departure of Jack Robinson. Robinson was released on deadline day, leaving Birmingham with only three recognised central defenders in their senior squad.

Davies believes Buchanan’s versatility, combined with Tomoki Iwata’s ability to operate in central defence when required, gives Birmingham sufficient cover. The manager explained that although Blues have traditionally worked with four centre-backs, he did not feel another specialist defender was necessary because Buchanan can fill the role effectively.

Birmingham’s registered 25-man squad contains three goalkeepers: James Beadle, Ryan Allsop and Brad Mayo.

The defensive options are Bright Osayi-Samuel, Ethan Laird, Christoph Klarer, Phil Neumann, Dael Fry, Alex Cochrane, Kristoffer Lund and Lee Buchanan.

In midfield, Davies can call upon Paik Seung-ho, Tomoki Iwata, Jhon Solis, Max Bird, Taylor Gardner-Hickman and Kanya Fujimoto.

The club’s registered wide players are Carlos Vicente, Patrick Roberts, Demarai Gray and Liam Millar, while the striking options consist of Jay Stansfield, August Priske, Luis Vazquez and Marvin Ducksch.

With the squad now formally submitted, Davies must work with the group selected for the first part of the Championship season. For Wright, the coming weeks could prove crucial as he weighs up whether to remain at Birmingham and train with the club’s younger players or pursue a late move overseas.