Former Northampton Town loan star Marc Leonard has made a permanent move to Birmingham City.
Leonard will join the Blues on a full transfer for an undisclosed fee after moving from his previous parent club Brighton and Hove Albion. He has signed a four-year deal with the West Midlands club.
The transfer will put Leonard in contention to play the Cobblers next season, with Birmingham preparing to compete in the third tier of English football next season for the first time since 1995.
Leonard is Birmingham’s 8th signing ahead of the new campaign, as a Blues side now managed by Brendan Rodgers’ former assistant manager Chris Davies attempt to compete for an immediate return.
In two seasons on loan with Northampton, Leonard was a regular, making 97 appearances in all competitions as he first helped Northampton win promotion from League Two in the 2022/23 season and then helped them achieve comfortable survival last season.
Leonard had been linked with a possible move to Championship clubs, but in an arrival interview with the Birmingham City website, he said he felt that Birmingham’s ambition made them an option he wished to sign up with ahead of the new season.
He said, “The main thing for me is the ambition and the direction the Club is going in. I think that, for where I am in terms of my career and where Birmingham are, our ambitions really align with each other.
“I was very keen to get the deal done as I knew that Birmingham was the club for me, I knew I wanted to play here.”
Northampton Town have announced the signing of teenage midfielder Matt Dibley-Dias on a season-long loan from Premier League outfit Fulham.
The 19-year-old is the Cobblers’ seventh signing of the new season, following the previously announced arrivals of James Wilson, Nik Tzanev, Callum Morton, Cameron McGeehan, Jack Baldwin and Tom Eaves.
Dibley-Dias will also be the Cobblers’ second loan signing, following that of Morton.
The midfielder has previously helped Fulham win trophies at youth level, taking part in a side that won the Premier League Cup in 2024 and the Premier League 2 youth tournament in 2021/22.
Eligible to represent England, Portugal, Brazil and New Zealand at youth level, Dibley-Dias has also won the award for Fulham’s best academy prospect and has also received call-ups to the Cottagers’ first team squad on multiple occasions.
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