Birmingham City’s goalkeeping department is expected to be reshaped ahead of the new Championship season
07:00, 09 May 2026
James Beadle in action during his loan spell at Birmingham City
Birmingham City have a few priority positions to address in this summer’s transfer window and acquiring the right goalkeeper is high on their to-do list.
James Beadle and Ryan Allsop shared goalkeeping duties during the 2025/26 season, although the former had the lion’s share of the minutes with 38 starts compared to Allsop’s 12.
Blues only kept 10 clean sheets in their 50 matches – eight for Beadle and two for Allsop – to underline the underperformance of a defensive unit that was so solid the previous campaign.
In the first of our departmental reviews, Blues reporter Alex Dicken has taken a look at the goalkeeping situation at the club…
James Beadle
Brighton & Hove Albion will be quite content with the performance of the two goalkeepers they loaned to the Midlands last summer.
At 24, Carl Rushworth was the premium pick and he was essential to Coventry City’s title-winning season. Brighton will bag a pretty penny for Rushworth if they cash in this summer.
Blues backed Beadle, 21, and the results were mixed.
Loan players can be loved or loathed and, in truth, Beadle was neither. He never won the hearts of St Andrew’s but, aside from a few ironic cheers towards the end of the season, he was well supported.
There were moments of quality, such as the double save against Blackburn Rovers and his penalty stop from Sheffield United’s Sydie Peck, but there were errors too.
It was the sort of season you would expect from a very young goalkeeper with enormous potential. The only regular number one younger than Beadle in last season’s Championship was Sheffield Wednesday’s Pierce Charles.
However, what isn’t up for debate was that Beadle was the best goalkeeper at the club. His save percentage of 68.5 percent (FBREF) compared to Allsop’s 57.6 percent supports that statement.
If Blues had signed Beadle on a permanent deal his season would be viewed differently.
Sheffield United’s Sydie Peck has a penalty saved by Birmingham City goalkeeper James Beadle
Ryan Allsop
The fact Allsop signed a contract extension to see him through to 2028 after he had lost his place in Blues’ XI tells us that he is content with life at his club, irrespective of whether he is first choice or not.
Davies has always insisted that Blues have ‘two number ones’ but it didn’t always feel that way last season.
When there was criticism aimed towards Beadle, Davies was always supportive of the goalkeeper he made Blues’ undisputed number one.
Allsop’s great, almost unique, skill at Championship level is his distribution but there have been question marks over his shot-stopping ability.
That is why it’s difficult to see Allsop starting next season as anything other than a challenger to the number one Blues inevitably sign this summer. Now 34 and back in his home city with his family after years of moving around, Allsop isn’t in a bad spot.
Brad Mayo
The second Brummie goalkeeper on Blues’ books is at the other end of his career and will surely be asking himself the hard questions.
Mayo’s contract is up this summer and although he is a fully-fledged first team player, appearing on Blues’ bench five times last season, he has never made a senior appearance for the club.
Mayo, 21, is only a couple of months younger than Beadle who has already made 132 senior starts.
For what it’s worth, Mayo is a very popular member of Blues’ dressing room and a diligent professional so you can see why they could keep him around as third choice if that is a role he wants.
Only Mayo knows whether the time has come to fly the nest and make a name for himself at a lower level.
What needs to happen?
Blues need one, possibly two new goalkeepers this summer with Allsop the only glovesman pencilled in to be part of next season’s squad at the time of writing.
A new contract for Mayo would save Blues the hassle of signing a third goalkeeper – a position that is increasingly common for senior goalkeepers in the game but not that easy to find for clubs outside the Premier League.
Replacing Beadle is the number one target.
The idea of signing Beadle permanently was floated by Davies last season and he wasn’t against it. Brighton have a decision to make on a goalkeeper who has now played two-and-a-half years in the Championship.
Will they cash in now on England’s most highly-rated young goalkeeper? Doubtful. They will probably want him to experience the kind of loan Rushworth has just enjoyed with Coventry first.
If it isn’t Beadle, then it should be an experienced goalkeeper and preferably one who knows the Championship.
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