---
title: "Redknapp admits Ruddy almost joined Birmingham"
canonical: "https://readnorwich.com/2019/03/24/redknapp-admits-ruddy-almost-joined-birmingham/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Daniel Emery"
section: "News"
published: "2019-03-24T13:00:05Z"
modified: "2019-03-24T13:00:05Z"
---

# Redknapp admits Ruddy almost joined Birmingham

Former Birmingham manager Harry Redknapp has revealed that he almost signed John Ruddy on a free transfer from Norwich.

Redknapp claims that he was bringing Ruddy in before the club opted against the deal and signed David Stockdale on a free from Brighton instead.

Ruddy was out of contract at the time, after Norwich decided to release him and Ryan Bennett in the summer of 2017.

![Stephen Pond/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readnorwich.com/readnorwich/2019/03/521557306.jpg)

The pair both ended up at Wolves, where they won promotion to the Premier League and are now competing in the top half of the table – although Bennett is the only regular starter.

However, things could have been very different for Ruddy – had he joined Redknapp at Birmingham that summer.

[Speaking to The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2019/mar/23/harry-redknapp-is-playing-a-familiar-tune-to-disown-birminghams-blues), Redknapp said this about his transfer window at Birmingham:

> I don’t think any of the signings were mine. I was taking \[John\] Ruddy on a free transfer from Norwich and instead they brought in David Stockdale from Brighton. The director of football \[Jeff Vetere\] wasn’t brought in by me either.