Wolves defender Dion Sanderson has completed a move to Birmingham City on loan.
The 22-year-old will spend the 2022/23 campaign at St. Andrew’s and hope to rediscover the form that made him a real hit for the Blues last season.
Sanderson spent the first half of 2021/22 with Birmingham, before Wolves recalled him in January.
Wanderers needed to cover a centre-back shortage, with Romain Saiss heading to AFCON, and Willy Boly and Yerson Mosquera both injured.
Bruno Lage moved to bring Sanderson back, and it was felt by many Wolves fans that he would actually get first-team minutes.
But the club also brought Toti Gomes back from Grasshoppers, and it was he that got the nod from the manager to cover Saiss.
Ultimately, Sanderson did not feature for the first-team, and was then sent back out on loan to QPR. And his time at Loftus Road was certainly not as productive as at St. Andrew’s.
Matt Jackson, Wolves’ strategic player marketing manager, said (Wolves official): “This move is going to give Dion more exposure to a league he’s comfortable in and it’s so important young players gain good experience now. Once they can get themselves to 100 games at a certain level, they can be considered experienced, and that’s what we’re trying to do with Dion.
“He knows Birmingham well, obviously there’s new coaching staff there now, but he knows John [Eustace] from QPR, and I have a relationship with John going back to my time at Watford, so I know him and the culture he likes at his football clubs. It completes the links, but ultimately, it’s really good for Dion’s development.
“He’s a great professional, he works really hard, and is a good character for any dressing room, so I can see why Birmingham were keen to have him back there.”
Birmingham a great move for Sanderson after successful 2021/22 stint
News of Sanderson returning to Birmingham for second loan spell should be welcomed.
He really impressed there last season, and many Blues fans were gutted that Wolves moved to recall him midway through the season.
That recall rather disrupted his momentum, with Sanderson struggling for form at QPR.
With Lage having young centre-back options like Gomes and Mosquera, it is probably the right call to send him out on loan again. And the best call to send him to an environment he has previously flourished in.