Stevenage face a tough battle to hang onto one of their key talents this January as two Championship clubs line up offers for Ryan Doherty.
Alex Revell’s side have been excellent so far this season with a push for automatic promotion fully on the cards heading into 2026, largely built around their defensive efforts. However, they now risk losing one of their emerging stars in Ryan Doherty in January, with higher division sides interested.
Transfer Battle Looms
According to Peter O’Rourke of Football Insider, Stevenage will have to contend with offers from both Birmingham City and Ipswich Town in the coming weeks for the 17-year-old, who has started to break through into the first team squad.
Doherty has played eight games for the Hertfordshire club this campaign, including his first-ever League One start against Cardiff City earlier in December. Boro face the Bluebirds again tonight, with a result helping them stay in touch with the league leaders.
The midfielder signed his first professional contract at the Lamex in the summer following three appearances in the EFL Trophy last season, but could be pryed away from his boyhood club in favour of Birmingham and Ipswich, both of whom are credited with interest.
Other Championship sides have been noted to have been scouting Doherty in previous months, with the vision to be a player for the future rather than a name that could break into the matchday squads.
Big Decision To Be Made
With his big break coming in the past few months, Ryan Doherty has now earned himself some big-name suitors for the upcoming window. Championship sides are frequently scouring the lower leagues for the next big talent, and this is certainly the case here.
Birmingham City have a good track record in recent years with taking young talents and making them into stars, with Jay Stansfield being a prime example following his exceptional loan at boyhood club Exeter City from Fulham.
However, the best choice for the 17-year-old is keeping put and continuing his development at Stevenage and under the guidance of Alex Revell, who has started to put his faith into the midfielder.
While some money and a good sell-on clause could raise some great financial capital for the club as they push for a place in the Championship, continuing his growth at the Lamex could pay out bigger dividends in the years to come.
