Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish plans to open new contract talks with defender Martin Jiranek.

During last weekend's Carling Cup triumph against Arsenal, Jiranek was one of Blues' unsung heroes.

"There are no doors closed but there is a little bit of uncertainty in terms of the league," McLeish told bcfc.com.

"We don't know what is going to happen. I can't guarantee anything but we'd like to believe we can talk to Martin about a future in the Barclays Premier League .

"He has adapted really well. My first fear was him coping with the aerial side because it is very alien to foreign centre-halves.

"But he has shown some tremendous experience particularly in what could have been some serious situations for us.

"He has stepped in for us with some marvellously timed tackles and positioning."