Walsall sign midfielder Ryan Stirk

The midfielder will officially join the Saddlers when his contract at Birmingham City expires on July 1.

Stirk becomes the first signing of the Mat Sadler era, and has revealed that the newly-appointed Walsall boss played a decisive role in persuading him to move to the Bescot.

“I’m delighted to get it done,” Stirk said.

“I’ve known for a few weeks that Walsall have been interested. It’s local to me, I’ve got a young family and it’s a move that I wanted to get done as soon as I heard about it.

“I’ve worked with the gaffer before when I was a bit younger at Birmingham when he took a few sessions there so I know him, I spoke to him and he sold it to me.

“It’s a great club and I’m looking forward to get going and working with him."

Stirk came through the youth ranks at St Andrew’s and made four appearances in all competitions for the Blues.

He spent the second half of last season on loan at National League side Bromley, and won the club’s player of the month award twice, as he helped them reach the play-off semi-finals.

The 22-year-old enjoyed a loan spell at Mansfield Town in League Two during the 2021-22 season.

He scored two goals in 36 matches for the Stags, and only missed out on promotion following defeat to Port Vale in the play-off final.

Stirk has also been capped seven times for Wales under-21s.

“I’m really pleased to get Ryan over the line,” Sadler said.

“He’s someone that I’ve known for quite a considerable time through my connections at Birmingham.

“He was somebody in previous times that I would have liked to have brought to the football club but I’m really chuffed it’s come together for me to get him now.

“Ryan is the type of player who wants to pass forward, play through the lines, he wants to receive the football and he wants to get on the ball.

“He’s also a tenacious dog in the way that he works in trying to recover the ball and receive the ball back.

“He adds a little bit of something different with that left foot and balance in the midfield area to compliment what we already have in the building and I want to reiterate – we’re really pleased with what we currently have in the building.

"We are over the line or close on a number of other targets and we are pleased with the overall progress."