Birmingham City acting chairman Peter Pannu has hinted that the club may need to sell more players in order to gain financial stability.
The Blues majority shareholder Carson Yeung was recently arrested over alleged money laundering which saw the club's shares suspended.
Coupled with relegation to the Championship, the club is looking to raise funds, but Pannu expects a backlash from fans.
"Upon my return I may have to make some unpopular decisions and I hope the fans will understand that I effectively don't have a choice," Pannu told The Mirror.
"The club may need to do what is right and to buy time until Carson's assets are dislodged from the clutches of the courts in Hong Kong."
The Midlands side have already released six players whose contracts expired, including Kevin Phillips and Seb Larsson.