Birmingham City’s mighty £9m window spend compared to Wrexham, Southampton and other league rivals

Birmingham City have been amongst the biggest spenders in the Championship

Birmingham City have shown plenty of ambition in the transfer window this summer as they prepare to make the jump from life in League One to the challenging and relentless schedule of the Championship.The Blues were the undisputed kings of the third-tier throughout last season - picking up a record-breaking 111 points while winning a staggering 34 of their 46 games throughout the course of the campaign.

Birmingham City are spending big to try and adapt to life in the Championship | Getty Images

placeholder image — Birmingham City are spending big to try and adapt to life in the Championship | Getty Images

The manner in which they were promoted and the wealth they have at their disposal has already made them one of the most backed teams to win promotion again this season despite the jump in division.

But it’s expected to be a much tougher season as they face up to strong competition from ex-Premier League sides such as recently-relegated trio Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton as well as established second-tier clubs such as midlands rivals West Brom, Norwich City, Middlesbrough, Coventry City and last term’s beaten play-off finalists Sheffield United. There’s also the rapidly improving Wrexham, who will look to make even more history after winning a record-breaking three promotions in a row.

The summer transfer window promises to make or break many team’s hopes of success this coming season. But how does Birmingham’s ambitious spending compare to the teams around them in the promotion picture? Here’s all you need to know.

Birmingham City’s incomings so far

Birmingham City re-signed former academy graduate Demari Gray on a free transfer from Al-Ettifaq. The 29-year-old struggled for form in the Middle East but provides plenty of flair and experience after solid spells with Leicester City and Everton in the Premier League.

Also recruited on a free is Phil Neumann, a 27-year-old centre-back from Hannover in Germany’s second-tier, and Bright Osayi-Samuel, who played Europa League football for Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce last term.

Japanese midfielder Kanya Fujimoto also comes in on a free from the Portuguese league, but the biggest signing of them all comes in the form of £7.7m striker signing Kyogo Furuhashi. Furuhashi is best known for his time at Celtic where he was prolific but was signed from Rennes in Ligue 1.

He’s one of two players signed for a fee along with £1.5m signing Taylor Gardner-Hickman, who impressed last year during a loan spell from Bristol City. Meanwhile, goalkeeper James Beadle from Brighton and Tommy Doyle of Wolves both arrive on loan, having both played at various age groups for England.

Birmingham City outgoings

When it comes to player sales, Birmingham City have cashed in on a number of stars, including Romelle Donovan to Brentford for around £3.1m and Ayumu Yokoyama for around £2.6m following an unsuccessful season last term. Brandon Khela has also moved to Peterborough for a reported £502,000 along with Emmanuel Longelo for around £150,000.

Meanwhile, Alfie May, who scored 16 times, has agreed to join Huddersfield Town for around £1.2m, which suggests Chris Davies didn’t see him as part of his plans for next term. A number of other stars such as Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Grant Hanley have both left the club on free transfers, with Lukas Jutkiewicz retiring from the game at 36.

How Birmingham City’s spending compares to Championship rivals

Birmingham City have so far spent around £9.2m on new recruits although it’s likely to be significantly higher when factoring in signing-on bonuses and agent fees. It makes them the fourth biggest spenders in terms of expenditure and puts them in 9th position in terms of all-round net-spend.

Here is the full table of what each Championship team has spent on new players, based on data from Transfermarkt, which we’ve converted into pounds sterling: