Yahoo News Who is Marc Leonard? A signing that would fit Garry Cook's remit for Birmingham City
New Birmingham City manager Chris Davies has spoken of his fascination with technically gifted midfielders and Marc Leonard – a 22-year-old playmaker understood to be on Blues’ radar – fits the bill.
Blues are believed to be among the clubs coveting Leonard, who is expected to leave Brighton & Hove Albion on a permanent basis this summer after two seasons on loan at Northampton Town. Leonard is reportedly available for around £300,000 but there are other clubs in the mix for his signature.
Championship sides Sheffield United, Swansea City, Cardiff City and Oxford United have been credited with an interest in Leonard, as have Hollywood-backed Wrexham who will be competing with Blues in League One next season. Preston North End have also been linked with Leonard but a move to Deepdale is unlikely according to the Lancashire Post.
Leonard has improved exponentially over the past 12 months to attract all this attention. He helped Northampton win promotion from League Two in 2022/23 but his numbers – one goal and one assist in 45 starts – were fairly modest.
READ: Five pre-season fixtures confirmed as Birmingham City prepare for League One
READ: I could quit football & start a business after being released by Birmingham City
Fast-forward a year and Leonard has just completed his maiden season in League One with five goals and six assists across an ever-present season. Leonard has proved himself to be one of the most creative midfielders in the third tier.
Speaking about Leonard to the Daily Record, Northampton manager Jon Brady said: "He is beyond us now and rightly so. There is a lot of interest in him from the English Championship. Certainly with the ability he has, for me, he has to be testing himself, at least in the Championship. He would be a huge asset to any team in that league.
"The improvement in him has been scary. He came as a very good technical player but now he has gone up so many levels. He has risen to every challenge we gave him and in the end, he was just grabbing games by the scruff of the neck and being a real difference maker. He came as a young player but has left Northampton as a man."
By the sounds of it, it would be something of a coup for Blues to keep Leonard in League One for another season. Blues are in the market for players who can follow their trajectory and have the finances to compete with Championship clubs. Upon appointing Davies last week, Blues chief executive Garry Cook gave his manager the green light to build ‘a Championship ready squad in League One’.
One of the most impressive things about Leonard is his durability. Only four players – all of whom are goalkeepers – played more minutes in League One last season. He started all 46 of Northampton’s league fixtures, playing 4,130 of a possible 4,140 minutes.
He was always available for Northampton in his first season with the Cobblers, too. He featured in 45 of their League Two fixtures. For a club like Blues, which had a large portion of players in the treatment room at various times last season, availability is a desirable quality.
Leonard tends to play either as an orthodox number eight in midfield or slightly further forward. He spent time at Rangers in his youth before moving to Hearts and latterly Brighton, where he finished his development.
