The 2023-24 Championship season gets underway on Friday and we have decided to put together previews for each club ahead of the new campaign. In this one, we take a look at Birmingham City.
Last Season: 17th
Top Scorer: Scott Hogan (10)
Transfers In: Tyler Roberts – Leeds United (£400k), Koji Miyoshi – Royal Antwerp (Free), Krystian Bielik – Derby County (£1m), Ethan Laird – Manchester United (£750k), Dion Sanderson – Wolverhampton Wanderers (£2m), Siriki Dembele – AFC Bournemouth (£750k), Keshi Anderson – Blackpool (Free), Lee Buchanan – Werder Bremen (£1.3m)
Transfers Out: Tahith Chong – Luton Town (£5m), Jobe Bellingham – Sunderland (£1.5m), Maxime Colin – FC Metz (Free), George Friend – Bristol Rovers (Free), Harlee Dean (Released), Troy Deeney (Released), Jordan Graham – Leyton Orient (Free), Nico Gordon – Solihull Moors (Loan)
First Game: Swansea City (A)
Prediction: 13th
It is the dawning of a new era at Birmingham City. After years of mismanagement the West Midlands side received new investment from American businessman Tom Wagner, who is planning to transform the club and the city. And now he’s got NFL legend Tom Brady on board. It’s been a tough 12 years for the Blues since their Carling Cup win and relegation from the Premier League. They have been at the wrong end of the Championship table for too long and they have been lucky to avoid relegation to League One on many occasions.
After being one of the favourites for relegation last year, John Eustace guided the Blues to a respectable 17th finish and there were glimpses of the style of football he will be looking to implement moving forward. Their summer business has caught the eyes of many because they are bringing in promising talent for sensible money, as opposed to their summer 2017 window under Harry Redknapp.
With several manager changes since 2016 it has never been more important for Birmingham to have the same manager in the dugout heading into the new campaign. Eustace has been instilling a no excuses culture which saw the club defy the odds to stay up last year and it looks as though he will be looking to build on last year’s performance.
This is certainly going to be year of transition for the Blues. Eight new faces have arrived, nine if you count Shane Long’s new contract, and so it may take some time for Eustace’s new-look squad to gel. It doesn’t seem like their transfer business is anywhere near finished, too. A stable mid-table finish this year without having to look over their shoulder would be deemed a successful one at St Andrew’s.