As Birmingham City prepares for a major summer transfer window in order to compete for back-to-back promotions, the Blues are equally ambitious off and on the pitch.
Blues co-owner and chairman Tom Wagner is still in talks with local authorities on the development and execution of the proposed Sports Quarter, which will include a new 62,000-seater stadium for City, as well as other sporting facilities, business and residential spaces.
Knighthead Capital Management, of which Wagner is co-CEO and co-founder, has been buying land in the former Birmingham Wheels neighbourhood.
According to reports, the corporation spent £3 billion to acquire this site, demonstrating Wagner and Knighthead’s significant financial commitment to the club.
Don Goodman, an EFL analyst, has exclusively told Football League World that if he were a Blues fan right now, he would “be very, very excited.”
What Don Goodman Says About Wagner And Birmingham
Wagner has been outspoken about his vision for Birmingham, and the amount of money currently put down for land would signal a significant commitment to the project, which Goodman is certain of.
“I have no doubts about Tom Wagner’s ambition for Birmingham City.”
“Plans for the proposed new stadium, infrastructure development around the stadium, and local amenities have been in place since the beginning.
“It’s all very, very ambitious and very exciting if you’re a Birmingham City supporter.”
As Wagner and Birmingham aspire for another promotion next season, Goodman sees it as an exciting time to be a ‘Bluenose’.
“I have no doubts about his determination to lead Birmingham City to the Premier League.
“How quickly that can happen remains to be seen but if I was a Birmingham City fan, I’d be very excited.”
Birmingham’s record-setting season
Birmingham ended the 2024/25 season with a hard-fought 2-1 defeat of already relegated Cambridge United at the Abbey Stadium, bringing their total points to 111 from 46 games.
That surpassed the previous all-time EFL points tally of 106, which was set by Reading as the Royals won promotion to the Premier League in the 2005/06 season.
Chris Davies remains in charge at St Andrews, with a squad that appears capable of being more than competitive in the second tier, and the prospect of additional investment in the playing staff suggests they will only get better – potentially an automatic promotion contender.
The Blues have previously been connected with a move for out-of-contract Swansea City defender Harry Darling and Peterborough United’s leaving Kwame Poku, among others, after signing Hannover defender Phil Neumann on a pre-contract earlier this year.
Birmingham surpassed their club record for Jay Stansfield last summer during a transfer window that was unusually busy for the Championship, let alone League One, and doing so again this summer will put them in a strong position to compete for top-flight football once more.
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