Birmingham City confirm £1.5m midfielder's exit as he joins ex-Newcastle United boss on loan
The midfielder played just 20 times in the league for Birmingham City during a injury-ridden campaign
Blackpool have confirmed the signing of Birmingham City winger Emil Hansson on a season-long loan deal.The Tangerines are managed by former Blues boss Steve Bruce and are expected to compete for promotion this season as they aim to return to the Championship for the first time in three years.
Hansson becomes the second member of Birmingham’s title-winning team to link up with Bruce at Bloomfield Road after the Lancashire side also agreed to sign backup goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell on loan until the end of the campaign.
Why Emil Hansson’s first season at Birmingham City didn’t work out
Hansson joined the Blues from Dutch top flight club Heracles Almelo in a deal believed to be worth around £1.5m. He signed a three-year-deal with the club at the time and became the fourth signing of the Chris Davies era. He registered his first assist of the campaign during a 3-2 win over Peterborough United and initially played quite regularly as the Blues made a strong start to the season. The Swedish winger sustained a muscle injury during a 2-0 win over Bolton in October and from then on struggled to work his way back into the team. He played just twice in December before completely falling out of the matchday squad until February.
Overall, he made 20 league appearances, scoring once in a 3-1 defeat to Bolton and contributed two assists, with his other set-up coming in a 4-1 win over Shrewsbury Town on 29 March. That particular appearance was his final outing of the league season in a Blues shirt and he failed to make the squad in any of the last nine league matches.
Hansson had already fallen down the pecking order before the summer but an influx of signings only forced the Swede further out of the picture. He was not selected for the club’s pre-season tour squad and was immediately made available for transfer. BirminghamWorld reported of Blackpool’s interest at the time and it’s now been confirmed that Steve Bruce’s side have fought off competition from other potential suitors such as Peterborough and Bolton Wanderers.
Emil Hansson reveals what attracted him to Blackpool
Hansson has claimed Bruce was a driving factor behind his decision to complete a move to Blackpool ahead of other clubs. He told the club’s social media: “Mainly the gaffer (attracted him to the club), I had good conversations with him about how he views me as a player and wants to develop me as a player. He has huge experience. I have seen him develop players and make them better and hope he can do it with me as well.”
Hansson went on to reflect on his time with Birmingham, adding: “For me it started well, I was playing but I was unfortunate with injuries and struggled to come back. But it was an amazing experience. We had top players and it was great to be involved. The winning mentality - it was all about winning and that was always the focus and losing was not an option.”