Taylor Gardner-Hickman, an on-loan Blackburn Rovers midfielder, might be on the move again, according to new rumors. The midfielder is now at Ewood Park, away from the club’s divisional rivals, Birmingham City.
Blues and Rovers’ financial situations are hardly comparable at the moment, with the West Midlands side able to conduct a slew of high-profile transfer moves under the ownership of Knighthead Capital Management, whereas the East Lancashire side’s pursestrings have been well and truly tightened since they were relegated from the Premier League in the spring of 2012, with the controversial ownership group, The Venky’s, still in charge.
Birmingham has similarly had a better start to the current Championship season, with Chris Davies’ side putting their early-season goalscoring woes behind them and now firmly in and among the play-off pack.
They are now a few positions and points ahead of Valerien Ismael’s team, who has had a mediocre start to the season.
Regardless of the North West side’s inconsistencies, Gardner-Hickman has remained a consistent figure in Blackburn’s midfield since moving up the M6 on Deadline Day, so it’s no surprise that Ismael is hoping to extend his second spell with his former West Bromwich Albion colleague, whom he has previously praised.
Blackburn Rovers are planning a permanent Taylor Gardner-Hickman transfer to Birmingham City, after Valerien Ismael’s previous “fearless” assertion.
Indeed, Ismael gave the 23-year-old his first senior appearance for West Brom in a 6-0 EFL Cup loss to Arsenal at The Hawthorns in August 2021, however the Frenchman would leave the club in February 2022.
Two months prior, he had heaped high accolades on Gardner-Hickman as he signed a new contract extension.
“Taylor represents the beginning of the project from when I arrived: to connect the academy to the first team. “We wanted to create a pathway, and Taylor is the first player that my staff and I have been able to bring through,” he said.
“Taylor has already demonstrated that he plays without fear, that he has a positive attitude and mindset. He exemplifies everything we want to see from young athletes. He’s hungry, has desire, and is courageous. “He also has a lot of quality,” Ismael added.
The Telford native would return to the West Midlands after a loan spell with Bristol City between 2023 and 2024, where he played 43 games in all competitions and scored three goals while being used in a variety of positions by the aforementioned Davies, who saw his temporary move made permanent for £1.5 million in February, signing a contract until June 2028.
However, after seeing numerous new recruits come through the St. Andrew’s door, Gardner-Hickman reunited with Ismael in September and has since made one of Rovers’ midfield positions his own, with Birmingham Live reporting that his loan club has initiated talks over a permanent deal as a result – one that could be signed as early as the upcoming transfer window, with the initial loan agreement including an option-to-buy clause.
How much may Birmingham City save in salary amid Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Blackburn Rovers talk?
As previously said, the financial environments of Birmingham and Blackburn are incomparable, with nearly every choice in the West Midlands scrutinized as Knighthead seeks a quick return to the Premier League.
As a result, Davies’ squad contains a multitude of high-profile stars and huge earners, with Tom Wagner paying his players an ESTIMATED sum of £382,500 each week, according to Capology, which is claimed to be the ninth-highest salary bill in the Championship.
Moving Gardner-Hickman on a permanent basis would save Birmingham £10,000 per week, with his salary estimated to be comparable to those of Scott Wright and Willum Willumsson.
Blackburn, on the other hand, has the division’s sixth-lowest weekly wage bill of £252,038, which would rise by £10,000 while Gardner-Hickman would earn the same as five of his Ewood Park colleagues: Balazs Toth, Lewis Miller, Adam Forshaw, Andri Gudjohnsen, and Makhtar Gueye.
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