Birmingham City star ‘announces’ sudden departure with cryptic message

Birmingham City defender Kevin Long has posted on social media to seemingly announce his departure from the club amid uncertainty around a number of player’s futures at St Andrew’s. Almost exactly 24 hours since the final whistle of the Championship campaign, the former Burnley man has thanked supporters with a cryptic message.

Having joined Blues in January on what was initially expected to be a very short-term deal, Long signed a contract of just six months. Since then, however, the Irishman has become a key player in defence, especially when other options have been sidelined by injury.

Many supporters made it clear they’d like to see Long stay at the club for the long term after a string of impressive performances, notably against Rotherham United, Queens Park Rangers and Millwall. The 32-year-old even notched a goal in the 2-0 win over the Millers in March.

But it appears his time may be up before it even properly got going, as Long posted to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon: “I really enjoyed my time at @BCFC. I want to say thanks to the staff, players and fans who have been great during my time there. KRO!”

Although the tweet doesn’t outwardly say he will be leaving, it very much seems to be a farewell - unless something changes very soon. Long could well be the first of many Blues players to leave in the summer as a new era begins to take shape under the ownership of Tom Wagner and Shelby Companies Limited.

Long, who formed a formidable partnership with Marc Roberts for a few consecutive matches, made 17 appearances for Birmingham in the Championship. In that period, he contributed 117 clearances, 22 tackles, 22 interceptions, eight blocks and one goal.