Birmingham City's most expensive signings of all time - including £6m play of the year and pricey flop

Birmingham City are plotting an assault on the Championship after their record-breaking 111-point League One campaign meant they will return to the second tier after just a year away.

Blues’ League One adventure attracted attention for more reasons than one, as the club spent big to ensure not only that they got out of the division with little fuss, but that they would be a force to be reckoned with on their return to the Championship.

While financial backing by the likes of NFL icon Tom Brady has made a difference, it can be argued that Blues are as strong now as they ever have been since their last spell in the Premier League ended with relegation in 2011-12. Many neutrals are backing City to challenge for a play-off spot or even more this season, to the point where they can no longer even be considered a dark horse.

It will be very interesting to see the transfer business Birmingham do as the window progresses. In the meantime, we decided to have a look back at the club’s most expensive transfers to date, which are, on the most part, less recent than you would imagine.

5) James McFadden - £5m (2008)

Ah, the good old days of 2008. The sun may not have been shining as it was January in Birmingham, but Blues fans were certainly singing when attacking midfielder or forward James McFadden arrived from Everton for an initial £5m fee, rising to £6m with bonuses.

After shining at Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership, McFadden scored 11 Premier League goals in a mixed period at Goodison Park before making a big move to St. Andrew’s. Blues were fighting against relegation at the time and McFadden made an instant impact with four goals in the run-in, but this was not enough as Birmingham were relegated.

McFadden stuck around in the Championship before striking another five goals back in the Premier League in 2009-10. Unfortunately, an ACL injury ended his 2010-11 season abruptly and he was released the following summer. Not quite a prolific signing, but McFadden certainly had his moments.

4) David Dunn - £5.5m (2003)

Even further back, this one reflects Birmingham’s pedigree as a Premier League club in the days before an influx of cash came into English football. Arriving from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2003, David Dunn was a highly-thought of midfielder at the time, having scored 15 Premier League goals in his past two seasons with fellow Premier League side Rovers.

But a recurring hamstring injury plagued his time at St. Andrew’s, where he scored six goals in 47 Premier League appearances across three seasons before Blues were relegated. In January 2007 Dunn returned to Blackburn for £2.2m, where he remained for another nine years. Dunn later expressed that he felt regret about leaving Rovers for Birmingham in the first place, though it was certainly nothing but unfortunate that injuries would follow him so closely during his time in the second city.

3) Emile Heskey - £6.25m (2004)

The following summer Birmingham broke their transfer record again with the signing of Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, an England international who had scored 60 goals in five years with the Reds. Though he arrived off the back of a difficult Euro 2004 with the Three Lions, Heskey showed no such issues in his debut campaign with Blues.

Heskey struck 11 goals in 38 appearances to sweep up the club’s Player of the Year awards at the end of the 2004/05 season. But similar success was not to follow the following campaign, when Heskey would score just four Premier League goals and could not prevent relegation to the Championship. He would subsequently sign for Wigan Athletic for £5.5m. While there were claims that the final £1.5m of Birmingham’s £6.25m fee was not payable due to relegation, we decided to give the 62-cap England man his rightful place on this list regardless.

2) Ivan Sunjic - £6.3m (2019)

The first modern transfer on this list. Sunjic arrived with a big £6.3m price tag on his back, just eclipsing Heskey to become Birmingham’s record signing at the time. He arrived aged 22 from Dinamo Zagreb and with a big reputation, having captained Croatia at the U21 Euros and competed in both the Champions League and the Europa League with Zagreb.

In four seasons with Blues he made 173 appearances, scoring a respectable total of seven goals as a defensive midfielder. But his time at St. Andrew’s was clouded by struggles down the end of the Championship table, and Sunjic never quite did enough to repay his record fee. He departed on a free transfer to Cypriot side Pafos FC after relegation in 2024.

1) Jay Stansfield - £15m (2024)

This one needs little introduction. Jay Stansfield’s £15m move from Fulham was not only a club record, it was a third tier record by some distance. If there was one signing which showed Blues’ ambition to go right to the top, it was this one.

Stansfield had scored 13 goals on loan at St. Andrew’s in 2023/24, and the club decided it was too good an opportunity to turn down to sign him permanently the following summer. The 22-year-old scored 23 goals last campaign and was a starter for England in the recent U21 Euros final success. Blues fans will hope there is plenty more to come from the young man.

It is likely that, if Birmingham City continue on their current trajectory, some of these big-money moves may be overtaken in years to come. But this serves as a reminder of the club’s proud history at the top level as Blues’ new generation seek glory once again.