Birmingham line up player who quit West Brom in multi-million summer transfer, he’s keen on move
Former West Brom right-back Darnell Furlong could make a quickfire return to the West Midlands in 2026.
Furlong left The Hawthorns to join Ipswich Town late in August and has since made 18 Championship appearances for the Suffolk club.
Ipswich agreed to pay £3.5million for Furlong, with a further £500,000 in add-ons, meaning that Albion would receive more than double the £1.5m fee that took the right-back to The Hawthorns from QPR back in 2019.
However, even though he’s been a regular at Portman Road since leaving the Black Country, Furlong‘s time at Ipswich could be short-lived.
Birmingham have eyes on Darnell Furlong
Birmingham have reportedly drawn up a shortlist of potential full-back signings next year as they aim to improve their form in the second half of the Championship season.
Neil Moxley has reported on GiveMeSport that 30-year-old Furlong is among those names and is one of Chris Davies‘ “leading options” to bolster his squad in the right-back area.
| Season | League | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 2019-20 | Championship | 31 | 2 | 1 |
| 2020-21 | Premier League | 35 | 1 | 3 |
| 2021-22 | Championship | 41 | 0 | 4 |
| 2022-23 | Championship | 40 | 2 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | Championship | 48 | 5 | 3 |
| 2024-25 | Championship | 42 | 1 | 3 |
| 2025-26 | Championship | 3 | 0 | 0 |
As Ipswich have plenty of depth at right-back, it is understood they are willing to consider getting rid of Furlong already, with Moxley adding that the former West Brom captain is also keen on the move.
Furlong wouldn’t be able to join Birmingham in January, however, as he’s already played for two clubs this season. Any move would have to wait until the summer.
Furlong is obviously no stranger to the area, having played 247 times in all competitions for the Baggies in six years at The Hawthorns.
His father, Paul, also played for Birmingham City in the late 1990s and early 2000s, initially arriving in 1996 as Blues’ record signing at £1.5m.
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Why Birmingham should be wary of Darnell Furlong
It’s safe to say that Furlong divided opinion during his time at The Hawthorns.
His physicality was his main strength. He was fast, he was great in the air and he has a venomous long throw-in on him that can cause issues for the best of defences.
Technically, he wasn’t as good, and his disciplinary record was always an issue.
He was booked 44 times and received four red cards in his time as a Baggies player, with one of those sending-offs coming on the opening day of this season.
Furlong was shown a second yellow against Blackburn on 9 August, even though West Brom won the game 1-0, even though he was wearing the captain’s armband, even though it was Ryan Mason’s first match in charge.
While he could be a good option for Blues if they sign him, the former QPR right-back certainly has a streak about him that gets his teammates into trouble.
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