Following on from the news that former Coventry City fans favourite Gary McSheffrey has been released by Birmingham City, Mirror Sport are reporting that the 27 year old striker will rejoin his home town club on a free transfer. He can play as a striker or as a left winger.
McSheffrey has been out of favour at Birmingham ever since Alex McLeish took over the reins at St Andrews. He spent time on loan at Leeds, but the newly promoted Yorkshire club failed to offer him a the chance to stay at Elland Road.
Birmingham manager Alex Mc Leish told The Birmingham Mail, “When I came Sheff was maybe more of a free spirit. When he scored all his goals (in 2006-07), Birmingham went to the Premier League."
“He was out of things when I came to the club and I wanted to bring his endeavour and graft into the team in what was a very crucial time for us, fighting relegation. And, you know, he did well. Every week my pals watched Match of the Day and said, ‘That McSheffrey gets some chances’.
"He was always getting at least one chance they’d see on the highlights, but it just didn’t go for him. His goalscoring touch deserted him and I thought that we just had to look for something else, which was the case last season and then this."
“Of course, the longer he’s out of the team the more disillusioned he becomes and then it’s time to make a break. We wish Sheff well and hope he can go on and recapture his form somewhere else.”
McSheffrey was sold to Birmingham City in 2006 for between £3 and £4m so that Coventry could pay some off some of their debts.
Gary McSheffrey was born in Coventry and signed for the in 1998 and player 143 games, scoring 44 goals. He made his Coventry debut in a 4-1 win over Aston Villa in February 1999 at the age of 16 years and 198 days, making him the youngest ever premiership player, a record he held for four years.
He spent much of his time out on loan at a variety of clubs, including Swedish club IK Brage, Stockport County and Luton Town before his controversial move to Birmingham.