Birmingham City manager John Eustace has tipped Dion Sanderson to lead by example in 2022/23, and reckons the youngster has the potential to become Premier League-quality.
The Wolves centre-back recently completed a season-long loan move to St Andrew’s.
Sanderson returns to the club he spent the first half of last season with.
The 22-year-old enjoyed a good time with the Championship outfit, making 16 appearances.
He quickly became a fans’ favourite, but Wolves recalled him in January to cover a centre-back shortage.
Sanderson ultimately didn’t end up getting any minutes for the first-team, with Toti Gomes replacing Romain Saiss whilst he was at AFCON.
Sanderson was then loaned out to QPR, where he struggled to replicate the form he showed at Birmingham.
Sanderson will now have a second stint at the club, and Wolves will not have a recall option this time.
Reacting to the signing, Blues boss Eustace said (via Birmingham Mail): “His potential is definitely Premier League and I want to help him get there, hopefully Birmingham City can help him get there.
“But to do that he has got to play very well for us. We are going to help develop and improve him and he is going to be a vital part of what we do here.
“He’s very much on the front foot, very aggressive, very athletic. That’s everything we want our team to be. He will certainly lead by example. I am not going to say what he needs to improve on, he knows what he needs to work on and we will certainly be doing that.”
A big season for Dion Sanderson as John Eustace makes Premier League claim
Eustace seems very pleased to sign Sanderson, and it is definitely a good move for him.
He is already familiar with the club having been there last season, and he is already well liked by the supporters.
He should be able to settle in fairly quickly, and hopefully he’ll be playing week in, week out. And it’s good that Wolves don’t have the option to recall him this time.
Should he really shine this term, it’s possible we could be talking about him as a potential first-team option in 2023/24. when he is 23 years old.