Forget Wrexham - Birmingham City are the perfect team for iconic Premier League striker to join this summer

Birmingham City are set for another summer of big spending as they prepare to take on the Championship after a record-breaking League One title-winning campaign.

Chris Davies and his side will be eager to take the English second tier by storm as they seek to move closer to their ultimate goal of being promoted to the Premier League. To do that, more investment is likely as Davies aims to plug gaps - as crazy as that sounds after such an incredible season - in what can effectively be his Championship dream team.

But one signing Blues have already made ahead of the summer won’t even cost a penny as Hannover centre-back Phil Neumann is joining as a free agent. Birmingham could go down the free agents route with more signings, too, including one who could really push Davies’ side to the next level.

Forget Wrexham, Jamie Vardy should join Birmingham City

Legendary Premier League striker Jamie Vardy announced last week that he will be leaving Leicester City at the end of the season after a 13-year stay at the King Power Stadium. Many thought the 38-year-old would retire with the Foxes, but it appears he will be carrying on his playing days for a while longer yet.

Vardy, a Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield winner, has scored 143 goals and made 48 assists in 339 career Premier League appearances. The striker has contributed a further 38 goals and 16 assists in 98 Championship games, while he made 26 appearances for England in his best years, scoring seven times.

Wrexham AFC, confirmed to be joining Birmingham in the Championship next season after securing automatic promotion from League One, have been heavily linked with signing Vardy. But what if he ignored all the glitz and glamour and instead joined the bigger, more illustrious footballing club?

No disrespect to Wrexham, but the Red Dragons simply don’t offer the same allure as Blues. They may have their Hollywood owners in Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, but they haven’t got anywhere near the same history as Birmingham do.

Blues have two League Cup titles, four Championships and now two League One crowns to their name. The best Wrexham can boast is the 2005 Football League Trophy and the 2013 FA Trophy. The contrast is

It’s not just about the silverware, either, as Birmingham’s St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park boasts 29,409 seats compared to The Racecourse Ground’s capacity of 12,600. Granted, Wrexham may have a more global appeal given their Disney+ documentary, but Vardy would have a much bigger in-person fanbase to dig into at Birmingham.

Then there’s the footballing side. Phil Parkinson has done a terrific job of getting Wrexham to the Championship with a historic feat of three successive promotions, but the Welsh team don’t have the same intensity and fast-flowing football that Blues do.

Vardy benefits from strong service and quick one-two passing in behind, catching defenders by surprise with his rapid turn of pace, even despite his growing age. That’s exactly what Chris Davies’ structure is all about: dominating football matches and peppering opponents until they crack.

Wrexham score enough goals themselves - only 15 fewer than Birmingham this season, in fact - but much of their attacking threat comes from crosses into the box to target men Steven Fletcher, Ollie Palmer and Paul Mullin. Midfielders Ollie Rathbone and Elliott Lee have often gotten in on the act, too, but their goals have often come from arrive late in the area.

It’s not that Vardy wouldn’t score enough at Wrexham - he certainly could - but rather that Birmingham could provide more regular goalscoring opportunities. Reports from Sky Sports News suggest Vardy may be reluctant to drop down into the Championship, but there is no guarantee he will be able to agree a move to a Premier League club, after a campaign in which he scored just seven times.

Vardy would probably start for both Wrexham and Birmingham, so that’s not a huge factor. Wrexham will likely ease out Fletcher, Palmer and Mullin, whereas Blues would probably bench the likes of Alfie May and Lyndon Dykes in favour of Vardy. Jay Stansfield plays some of his best football as a number 10 or just off the flank anyway.

There have been no credible reports just yet to suggest that Birmingham are even interested in Vardy, but it’s a move all parties should seriously consider. It could be the perfect fit.