Over the summer, the ‘bomb squad’ at Manchester United was widely covered. Players trained alone as they waited for another big club to get them. However, it’s not as glamorous to be in the ‘bomb squad’ at Birmingham City, and the choices for a move are less appealing.
This was the situation Emil Hansson found himself in. The 27-year-old had moved to Birmingham from Dutch club Heracles in 2024. He missed a chunk of last season due to injury, and then the left winger was edged out of the picture.
During the summer, Birmingham City told Hansson to find a new club, and that’s how he ended up in their ‘bomb squad’. Eventually, he got a loan to Blackpool in League One, but that isn’t going as well as hoped for either.
Blackpool are currently in the relegation zone, and Hansson doesn’t have much prominence for them.
Speaking to Fotbollskanalen, the player has shared his Birmingham City woes, and given the players’ side of transfers.
Birmingham City career likely over
When asked if he thinks he’ll play for the Championship club again, he gave a clear “No”. Whilst he’s disappointed with how things have gone, he doesn’t sound bitter.
“I came back for pre-season and I had trained hard. I wanted to give it a chance. But very early on I got the message that I needed to move on. I wasn’t even in pre-season, I had to train alongside a few other players. It was of course tough. But that’s part of the game. They invest to get into the Premier League.
“For me it was sad, because when I left the Netherlands I wanted to go to something where I could play for a couple of years. I signed a three-year contract and that was what I assumed. It was sad, but that’s life as a footballer and especially abroad. It can be brutal sometimes.
“As long as they respect my contract, I can’t say anything. Sometimes there’s a fuss with players who want to leave a club, like with Alexander Isak. But people don’t see when a club comes to a player and says “you have to go”.
“There’s a lot of rubbish that happens in the world of football. I don’t know. I try to see the positive, that I learn from it. You also learn from tough times and things don’t always go as you planned. You have to keep fighting and just take it day by day. Things can change quickly in football. All of a sudden I get a start, score a goal and then you’re off and running. I try to have a positive mindset.”
Aware his Birmingham City future is likely non-existent, Emil Hansson is open to what offers he receives in the summer.
