Birmingham City let Maxime Colin go for nothing in the summer, releasing him at the end of his contract after six years with the club.
Birmingham City signed French defender Colin from Brentford back in 2017. He was a mainstay for much of his time at St. Andrew’s, playing a hefty 253 times for the club across all competitions.
Overall, the 31-year-old has 303 Championship appearances to his name across spells with City and Brentford.
In the process, he managed seven goals and eight assists for the Blues, proving a reliable performer on the right. There were tough moments for Colin in some challenging years for the club but he moved on with the best wishes of supporters following his release.
But since his exit, just how has Colin fared?
Life at FC Metz
After being let go by Birmingham City, Colin made a return to his native France with FC Metz. It marks the first time he’s playing in his home country since 2014, when he left ESTAC Troyes to join RSC Anderlecht, then spending a two-year spell at Brentford before his Blues move.
With Metz, Colin is playing top-flight football. He started the first three games of the Ligue 1 season, losing 5-1 to Stade Rennais on the opening day before drawing with Marseille then beating Clermont Foot 1-0 in the third outing.
However, just 11 minutes into that game, Colin was withdrawn from the action. As a result, he’s had to sit out the last three games against Stade Reims, RC Lens and RC Strasbourg. Koffi Kouao has come into the XI in his place at right-back, so Colin will be hoping to get back to fitness and into the lineup again as soon as possible.
Birmingham City didn’t waste time in finding new right-back options. Ethan Laird and Cody Drameh were both recruited in the summer, with many seeing both as an upgrade on Colin in the early stages of the campaign.
