Lee Bowyer to be offered new Birmingham contract
Last updated on .From the section Football
Midfielder Lee Bowyer has been told by Birmingham manager Alex McLeish that he is to be offered a new one-year contract for next season.
But the 34-year-old, whose current deal runs out this summer, has not yet made a decision on whether he will stay.
He joined the club in January 2009, initially on loan, but signed a permanent deal in July 2009 and has made 83 appearances.
"I'm not sure what I'll do. I'll weigh up the options in the summer," he said.
"At the moment the manager has said to me the club are going to be offering me another year. Whether that happens or not, I don't know.
"I'll be on a free now and I'll see what options I get and go from there. I've not had a bad season so I might have a couple [of years left]."
Bowyer was left out of the side earlier in the campaign but regained his place for the second half of the season and was part of Birmingham's Carling Cup final-winning side at Wembley in February. But he is keen to play on a regular basis.
He stated: "I like playing football. I don't come to work to sit on the bench. The games I do miss, I don't like.
"I had a spell here this season when I wasn't playing and I wasn't happy. But I think for one reason or another since Christmas time, the manager has put me back in and been playing me.
"I'll have to weigh things up. No-one is guaranteed to play but obviously I want to play as much as I can.
"I still feel that I give a lot to the team. That is the most important thing, that the team do well and I want to be part of that.
"There is no reason for me to go. It just depends. I can't sit here and say I'm going to stay here because I don't know what options I'm going to have. But am I happy here? Yes."
