Birmingham City's longest-serving player, Ethan Laird, faces a make-or-break summer after a challenging season. The 24-year-old only started nine Championship games last season, with six of those at left-back, despite being a key figure in the club's League One title-winning campaign.
Laird's Injury Woes and Positional Shifts
During the 2025-26 season, Laird suffered a high-grade hamstring injury that sidelined him from late September to March. However, even before his injury, manager Chris Davies appeared to favour other options, notably Bright Osayi-Samuel, signed from Fenerbahce to bolster competition at right-back.
Osayi-Samuel started the season opener against Ipswich, signaling that Laird was not the undisputed first choice. An injury to Alex Cochrane then forced Laird to deputize at left-back, where he made four of his seven starts before his injury.
Defining Summer Ahead
Upon returning from injury, Laird continued to be used at left-back, making only two starts at right-back in the run-in—one in a poor performance against Derby and another against Preston, where he struggled against Andrija Vukčević and was substituted for Osayi-Samuel.
Now, with his contract running until 2028, Laird must prove he can be the right-back to help propel Blues to the Premier League. Pre-season begins at the end of this month, and this summer could be pivotal for his future at the club.
