Bolton Wanderers bring in Birmingham City defender Jonathan Grounds on loan

Birmingham City have allowed Jonathan Grounds to join Bolton Wanderers on a season-long loan deal.

The two clubs could turn out to be rivals in the Championship this season, but Birmingham have taken the opportunity to free up some space on the wage bill after recently having a transfer embargo partially lifted.

Grounds has made 158 second-tier appearances for Blues over a four-year period, but the defender will now spend the next campaign at the Macron Stadium.

The 30-year-old told the club's official website: "I'm really excited to get going. I'm really pleased that I'm at Bolton Wanderers and I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and getting going.

"Speaking to the manager was definitely one of the things that helped me make my decision, as well as how much he wanted to get me up here. It's going to be a good place for me to come and play football and I'm ready for the challenge."

Grounds started his career at Middlesbrough, while the two years before his switch to St Andrew's were spent at Oldham Athletic.