Birmingham City cult hero's shock release as flop signs deal and Oliver Burke talks planned

Birmingham City cult hero Maikel Kieftenbeld has been caught off guard by FC Emmen’s decision not to offer him a new contract.

The all-action midfielder has been released by Emmen despite featuring prominently for them in the Dutch second tier last season. Kieftenbeld, who is also Emmen’s captain, says he is ‘very surprised by the announcement’ that he will be allowed to leave at the end of his contract.

Kieftenbeld has spent the last two seasons at Emmen after a brief spell at Millwall following his departure from St Andrew’s in 2021. His first season with Emmen was blighted by injury but he returned to fitness and favour in the second half of last season. But he now finds himself searching for the sixth club of his career at the age of 33.

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Burke’s future to be decided

The future of Blues flop Oliver Burke is set to be decided in the coming days when a meeting takes place between Werder Bremen’s management and the forward’s representatives.

Werder Bremen hoped Burke would flourish in Birmingham but he failed to register a goal or an assist in 21 Championship outings and only made one Championship start after New Year’s Day – a disastrous display against Rotherham which saw him hooked at half-time after being booed by his own fans.

German newspaper BILD suggests Burke’s future lies away from the side which finished ninth in the Bundesliga last season. Werder's professional boss Clemens Fritz announced in an interview with BILD: "We haven't spoken yet, but we will be in contact with his consulting agency this week and discuss the future."

Castillo on the move again

One-time Blues loanee Juan Castillo has signed for Dutch side RKC Waalwijk after a year out of football following his release by Chelsea. Castillo has signed a two-year contract with RKC, who finished 15th in the Eredivisie last season.

The former Netherlands youth international spent the first half of the 2021/22 season on loan at Blues before switching to Charlton Athletic in January after limited minutes at St Andrew’s. Now 24, Castillo hasn’t played a competitive game since February 2022.

Valery set for Championship chance

Another former Blues loanee, Yan Valery, is poised to get a second crack at the Championship with Sheffield Wednesday. The right-back played seven games on loan at Blues in 2021 before being frozen out following the appointment of Lee Bowyer.

Valery moved to France in 2022 to play for Angers and helped them win promotion back to Ligue 1 last season. But, with one year to run on his contract, Angers are happy to cash in and Wednesday are at the head of the queue.

Wednesday boss Danny Rohl was a coach at Southampton, working under Ralph Hassenhuttl, when Valery was a player at St Mary’s. The Star claim Standard Liege and Montpellier also hold an interest in Valery but Wednesday are favourites.