Birmingham City appear to be bidding farewell to four of their first-team squad following promotion to the Championship.
The Blues are currently on their pre-season tour of Portugal ahead of their upcoming Championship return fixture against Ipswich Town next month.
However, for four of their first-team squad it appears likely that they may have all played their final matches for Chris Davies’ side.
Birmingham quartet heading for exit
As reported by Football League World, Birmingham City quartet Tyler Roberts, Dion Sanderson, Alfons Sampsted and Emil Hansson have all been left out of their squad and face exits this summer.
Roberts spent last season on loan in League One with Northampton Town and therefore seems already to be out of favour at St. Andrews.
Sampsted is a surprise omission from Birmingham given they only recently completed a deal to land him permanently after his loan stint last season.
Sanderson spent time with Blackburn Rovers whilst Hansson fell out of favour.
How did each of them fare last season?
Former Birmingham captain Dion Sanderson made just six appearances in all competitions for the Blues last season, before joining Blackburn on loan in January. There he registered an additional 12 appearances but wasn’t able to help them secure a top six finish.
Winger Tyler Roberts featured twice in cup competitions for the Blues in August before signing for Northampton on loan. He made 27 appearances in League One and contributed to three goals including a crucial goal during a win against Leyton Orient.
Emil Hansson joined the Blues for an undisclosed fee last summer and featured 24 times across all competitions. However, he registered just four goal contributions and struggled to get ahead of the likes of Jay Stansfield and Keshi Anderson.
Finally, Alfons Sampsted also struggled for minutes last season following the form of Ethan Laird. He made 22 appearances across all competitions and provided two goal contributions.
Does squad omission mean a definite exit?
Technically, there are several reasons as to why a player may be left off a pre-season tour.
Factors such as injuries, family/personal issues or even rarely visa issues can play a part in a decision behind not taking a player.
However, with the four named players – each of them failed to make a lasting impression under Chris Davies last season and it seems very likely that they will move on this summer.