Despite being mired in relegation battles in the second tier for years, not finishing above 18th place since 2016, the drop was still a significant blow to the club’s ambitious American owners. They took over last year and have shown a renewed sense of ambition that is already reflecting in their League One campaign.
Early signs indicate that Birmingham, now managed by former Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City assistant Chris Davies, will be a formidable force next season. They made a strong statement by hijacking Huddersfield’s move for Alfie May from Charlton Athletic, a player who has scored over 20 goals in each of his last three seasons in this division. They have also significantly bolstered their goalkeeping department with the acquisitions of Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Ryan Allsop, the latter having spent the previous three seasons in the Championship.
However, the most impressive signing so far is Emil Hansson, highlighting Birmingham’s strong appeal at this level.
Emil Hansson is a superb signing for Birmingham City
Hansson became Birmingham’s fourth signing of the summer window, joining the West Midlands club last week in a £1.5m transfer from Eredivisie side Heracles, and signing a three-year deal.
The left winger scored five goals and provided six assists in 24 matches last season, highlighting Birmingham’s appeal in attracting players from a respectable top-flight division despite being in the third tier. Considering Hansson’s impressive performance in the Eredivisie—a league comparable to the Championship, aside from a few stronger and weaker teams—the potential impact he could have in League One will be daunting for opposing defenders and fans alike.
| Emil Hansson’s 23/24 stats for Heracles, as per FotMob | |
| Appearances | 24 |
| Goals | 5 |
| Assists | 6 |
| Successful dribbles | 26 |
| Chances created | 33 |
In the previous season, Hansson was the driving force behind Heracles’ swift return to the Eredivisie, delivering an impressive 16 goals and 19 assists. This remarkable performance, even at a lower level, demonstrates his ability to provide the directness and end product that Birmingham City has long lacked from their wide players.
What makes Hansson’s signing even more thrilling is that he’s now 26, an age when players typically hit their prime. While development isn’t always straightforward, this is generally the trend, and Birmingham has done exceptionally well to secure a player with such credentials at this crucial stage in his career to move to League One.
Birmingham City is assembling a League One powerhouse – anything less than promotion would be a failure
Though Birmingham fans recognize it’s a process under their new ownership, anything short of promotion next season will be seen as a failure. This is a reasonable expectation given the quality of their squad and the level of investment compared to their divisional rivals.
They’ve got a proven leading goalscorer in May and a winger with pedigree and the top-flight class that could quite easily light up the league in Hansson, and then you’ve also got numerous players from last term who should really stand out in League One too, such as Siriki Dembele – as he has before with Peterborough United -, Krystian Bielik, Dion Sanderson and even Tyler Roberts.
The jury is still out on Head Coach Davies, who is untested as a senior boss but, like much of Birmingham’s squad, possesses promising pedigree. Given that his has been honed under the tuteleage of some of the finest managers across the English game, Blues supporters should be just as excited about him as they are about some of the signings he’s made thus far.
Juninho Bacuna is closing in on a Birmingham City departure
The likes of Huddersfield, Rotherham, Peterborough, Bolton Wanderers and perhaps Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham will all share Birmingham’s designs of promotion, but Blues look a real shoo-in for the league title and, it must be said, there will need to be questions if they’re not lifting it come May.