Norwich boss David Wagner's parting gift to relegated Birmingham City

Norwich City head coach David Wagner hopes Birmingham City will bounce straight back up following their relegation to Sky Bet League One.

The German manager, despite not playing a direct part in Blues’ drop to the third tier on the Championship final day, was keen to offer his sympathy. Birmingham beat Norwich 1-0 but wins elsewhere for Sheffield Wednesday, Blackburn Rovers and Plymouth Argyle sealed their fate.

“Our opponent worked just as hard as us, for sure over these 46 games. Obviously now they’ve got relegated I wish them all the best that they recover and evaluate properly so they can bounce back as quickly as they can,” Wagner said in an empathetic tone during Saturday’s post-match press conference.

Wagner’s comments will be appreciated as many royal blue hearts are hurting. It’s also set to be a difficult summer for Birmingham as 10 players’ contracts are up and five loanees will return to their parent clubs. Add to that the uncertainty in the dugout and it’s a concerning time to be a Bluenose.

Blues and Norwich could be two divisions apart at the start of next season as the Canaries will be competing in the play-offs. Wagner and his men are set to take on Leeds United over two legs next week before a potential final against West Bromwich Albion or Southampton for a place in the Premier League.