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So the Blues have been faced with a bit of a conundrum for the next couple of games.

Having been sent off against Cardiff City, Pep Clotet and his men are going to find themselves without captain Harlee Dean.

Birmingham have submitted an appeal in a bid to get the decision rescinded but if the card isn't overturned, they need to at least put some contingency plans in place in case it fails.

There are two options within the first team that would make sense when it comes to who should replace the skipper.

Wes Harding, who is more experienced at this level and Jake Clarke-Salter who they brought in on loan from Chelsea, someone you’d think would want the chance to prove himself in his limited time.

There is one player, who although might seem like a bit of a wildcard, it wouldn’t be a total surprise if Clotet went down this road.

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Geraldo Bajrami isn’t the name that would come immediately to the minds of Birmingham City fans, but there is one thing that he brings to the table that the others won’t that will need to be replaced with Dean’s absence, and that’s leadership.

Bajrami is the current captain of the U23 side, despite being one of the younger members of the team at the age of 20.

Whilst it would be a stretch to put him straight in and give him the armband in place of Dean, he’ll bring a level of maturity to the side and can make up somewhat for what the central defender brings in terms of marshalling the troops.

It is worth noting that he was missing from the U23 side as they took on their Cardiff counterparts on Monday. Perhaps he’s spending the week with the first team to get used to the first team? We’ll just have to wait and find out.

As Clotet has shown with introducing the likes of Jude Bellingham and Odin Bailey into the fold, if he thinks that academy kids can help his team out, then he will bring them in. Will Bajrami be the next man called upon? Only time will tell.