Birmingham City's best new lineup after busy summer transfer window - as Sunderland star gets nod

Birmingham City enjoyed a second successive summer spending spree as owner Tom Wagner backed Chris Davies in a bid to shift closer to the Premier League.

Blues made history with a record-breaking 111-point League One title triumph last term, so the squad was clearly in great nick as it was, but Davies’ side aren’t just here to make up the Championship numbers. An ambitious immediate promotion to the promised land is being targeted, and the summer business reflected exactly that.

In total, Birmingham landed 12 new signings, just five fewer than from the unprecedented 2024 summer window. There were no huge fees on the same level as the reported £13 million forked out for Jay Stansfield last year, but Wagner still reached deep into his pockets.

Some of the most significant arrivals through the St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park doors included former Celtic hero Kyogo Furuhashi, high-scoring Werder Bremen centre-forward Marvin Ducksch, rapid central defender Phil Neumann and Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Tommy Doyle. There was also a romantic return for academy product Demarai Gray, nine years on from his departure for Leicester City.

Then, on deadline day, Blues dug in to secure two more signings. Exciting winger Patrick Roberts arrived on a season-long from Premier League side Sunderland before Sheffield United captain Jack Robinson put pen to paper on a two-year contract.

Davies had been chopping and changing even before the deadline day deals went through, so we perhaps haven’t yet seen Birmingham’s best lineup going forward. That’s certainly not a bad thing, though, with the quality and the depth of the squad clear. Without further ado, here’s how we reckon Blues could shape up at their best, when everybody is available.