The lowdown on Phil Neumann as Birmingham City look to wrap up first January signing
Birmingham City are aiming to make Phil Neumann their first signing of the January transfer window as the clock ticks on the German defender’s Hannover 96 career.
Neumann is out of contract at the end of this season and Hannover are expected to cash in this month after spurning Blues’ advances during the summer window.. The 27-year-old is now free to talk to other clubs ahead of his deal expiring in June.
In addition to Blues, a clutch of Bundesliga clubs have been linked with Neumann who is described by reputable German outlet BILD as ‘one of the best defenders in the second division’. It would be quite something if League One Blues could beat German top tier sides Borussia Monchengladbach, Augsburg and Union Berlin to Neumann’s signature.
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Here’s the lowdown on the defender…
Neumann has spent his entire career in Germany after starting out at Schalke 04. Before joining Hannover in the summer of 2022, Neumann spent time with FC Ingolstadt and Holstein Kiel.
While Neumann hasn’t made the step up to the Bundesliga, he has played 173 games in Germany’s second tier – including 16 starts for seventh-placed Hannover this season. Having only conceded 17 goals in their 17 league games, Hannover have by far the best defensive record in Bundesliga II which reflects well on defensive lynchpin Neumann.
Standing at 6ft 3ins, Neumann primarily plays at centre-back but he has occasionally been used as an inverted full-back. He has played as an orthodox centre-back in a defensive pairing this season but Neumann has also been used on the left of a back three.
Neumann’s highlights reel displays a defender who is brave and willing to put his head in where it hurts, as well as someone with a degree of athleticism. With an 81 percent pass completion rate this season, Neumann is relatively tidy on the ball and he averages almost five clearances per game.
WhoScored’s analysis of Neumann describes a player who likes to carry the ball out from the back with a penchant for a long pass. Whilst Blues’ centre-backs play a lot of short passes, they have all demonstrated the ability to play direct at times this season.
‘Playing in England was always my goal’
The financial rewards on offer in England are greater than most other leagues around the world can offer. It was telling during the summer transfer window that Blues were able to cherrypick talented Eredivisie players Willum Willumsson and Emil Hansson despite their relegation to League One.
Even in the third tier, Blues are capable of offering better salaries than most top-flight clubs around Europe. Neumann has made no secret of his desire to play in England for two reasons – the competition and the financial incentives.
"Playing in England was always my goal," he told the Neu Presse. "When you have a family, you naturally look further into the future and of course, contract negotiations also involve financial aspects, but it's about much more than that - in the end, it's a total package. Accordingly, I wouldn't go to Saudi Arabia because that's where the most money is. I do have the ambition to get the best possible results in football as well."
