Blues boss Paul Lambert has confirmed that defender Janoi Donacien has received his permanent leave to remain meaning his summer switch from Saturday’s opponents Accrington Stanley is now a permanent move - with the League One club receiving their £750,000 fee - rather than a loan.
St Lucia-born Donacien has been waiting for confirmation of his permanent leave to remain from the Home Office since the summer.
"I wasn’t part of it so I don’t know the ins and outs of it, I’ve never really worked in a situation where it’s hanging over somebody for that length of time,” Lambert reflected.
"It frees up another loan, but you don’t want to keep going down the loan route. Long-term it’s not healthy for anybody, especially for the club because people come and people go, you don’t get your identity in there.
"The club has to rebuild in a lot of aspects of it and as I said before, as long as I’m here, I’ll give it everything I’ve got, 100 per cent commitment, heart, soul, everything. I really enjoy it here, it’s really good.”
Donacien, 25, is yet to feature for Town under Lambert, his boss for part of his time at Aston Villa as a youngster, but could come into the reckoning against his old club in the FA Cup on Saturday.