Birmingham City 'enter talks' with former Leeds United and Sheffield United manager

The 46-year-old has been out of work since leaving the Blades midway through the 2023/24 season, staring relegation from the Premier League in the face. It was Heckingbottom who guided Sheffield United to the top flight in the first place, though, with automatic promotion secured via a second-placed finish.

Such a calibre of head coach cannot be ignored when available and Blues have recognised this, booking in a meeting with Heckingbottom. This is according to journalist Alan Nixon, who reports via his Patreon page that Birmingham will conduct talks with Heckingbottom in the coming days.

Blues face tough competition, however, as Plymouth Argyle are said to be in the frame already. The Championship side, who pipped Birmingham to safety by just one point at the end of the 2023/24 term, have been without a manager since sacking Ian Foster back in April.

Heckingbottom began his managerial career at Barnsley between 2016 and 2018 before moving to Leeds for a brief five-month stint. From there, Heckingbottom headed to Scottish Premiership outfit Hibernian for seven months before taking on a new path at Sheffield United, starting with the Under-21 side and a caretaker position.

Birmingham aren’t just focusing on Heckingbottom as several contenders are being spoken to before a final decision is made. Former Stoke City, Norwich City and Sunderland boss Alex Neil is among these, reports The Telegraph. Gary Rowett, who stepped in on an interim basis for the final eight games of the season, has also been discussed.