Birmingham City's academy has produced numerous homegrown talents in recent seasons.
Prior to the current investment provided by Knighthead Capital Management, the conveyor belt at Wast Hills provided a strong pathway for those coming through the ranks in B9 to make it into the first team, at a time when cash injections from BSHL were extremely low, summed up by years of stagnation on the pitch.
The prime example of such talent coming through in this part of the Second City is Jude Bellingham, who has now reached superstar status thanks to his exploits firstly at Borussia Dortmund after leaving St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, before going on to excel for Real Madrid and the England national team.
His brother and current Sunderland playmaker, Jobe, alongside Jordan James, also followed this particular avenue, as well as George Hall, who was rated to be a key prospect for Blues in the years to come.
This was showcased with links to Premier League clubs such as Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Everton.
But, for a number of reasons, the midfielder's career hasn't followed such a trajectory, and those links are starting to feel like a distant memory for the current Walsall loanee.
Birmingham City's players celebrate against Wrexham Related
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Blues have enjoyed an excellent start to life in League One, and are in contention for a return back to the Championship
George Hall was tipped for Premier League move after Birmingham City breakthrough
George Hall playing for Birmingham City vs Rotherham United
The midfielder's initial potential started to attract interest from those in the top flight at the age of 17, as Hall impressed for Birmingham and England's respective Under-18's sides with 11 goal contributions across the 2021/22 campaign.
Unsurprisingly, this caught the attention of Leeds United and Newcastle United, among other clubs, before Blues were able to tie down their academy graduate to his first professional contract, three months before handing Hall his first Championship appearance against Queens Park Rangers.
The Redditch-born talent then continued his upward trajectory across the 2022/23 campaign with 30 appearances in the league, which included his first professional goals against Watford and Sunderland, before being ruled out of the final four games of the campaign due to injury.
And despite the sea change in terms of the mood which surrounded Birmingham last summer following Tom Wagner's takeover, Hall was linked with a potential move to Anfield and Goodison Park, alongside links to Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.
However, the 20-year-old, who won the club's Young Player of the Year Award in 22/23, felt the best place to continue his development and fulfill his potential was in B9.
"I feel like we’re only going in one direction, and it’s upwards. I wanted to be a part of it, especially being here for so long. It will be good for me to progress my career here," he told club media after penning his current deal, which expires in 2026.
Current Birmingham City predicament creates major George Hall dilemma
George Hall Birmingham City
Since that moment, Hall and Blues as a club have suffered their fair share of misfortune, with the midfielder's individual campaign plagued by hamstring issues which saw him feature just once between August 2023 and March of this year.
And, by the time he did return, Birmingham were in an extremely different and perilous set of circumstances, which would see the club succumb to a first spell in League One since 1995.
It was clear that Blues' midfield was an area pinpointed for major turnover this summer, with the likes of Jordan James, Ivan Sunjic and Juninho Bacuna all leaving the club and being replaced by Tomoki Iwata, Willum Willumsson and Marc Leonard, whilst also retaining the services of Paik Seung-Ho.
This stuck Hall's nose firmly out of joint in Davies' short-term plans at least, and he was sent out on loan to League Two outfit, Walsall.
And, after a slow start to life at the Poundland Bescot Stadium, Hall has eventually returned to the levels he believes he is capable of in a Saddlers side who have asserted themselves as early-season promotion contenders.
"It's nice to have that belief in myself and my body and not have to hold back and be worried about getting injured," Hall recently told BBC Radio WM.
George Hall's League Two Stats - 24/25 Total
Matches Played 6
Matches Started 3
Minutes per Game 38
Goals 1
Assists 2
Big Chances Created 1
Key Passes per Game 0.7
All Stats as per Sofascore (Correct as of 04/12/24)
"I just want more assists, more goals and more of a chance to be running on full power again. And to help Walsall – and a great dressing room full of lads."
This belief was showcased by his first goal for the club against Notts County on Tuesday night, after registering two further assists in just six appearances under Mat Sadler.
Whilst there is hope that such form can be maintained in aiding Walsall's promotion bid and his chances of staking a first-team claim at St Andrew's, Hall must surely look back at the links to an array of Premier League sides with a huge sense of 'what-if?'