Birmingham City owner Tom Wagner is determined to lead the club back to the Premier League, aiming for successive promotions from League One next season. Following a record-breaking campaign in League One, Birmingham City has made it clear that their ambition is to climb to the Premier League.
The Blues make their return to the Championship after dominating the third tier last season, finishing with a remarkable 111-point tally. They have quickly established themselves as early contenders for promotion in the 25/26 predictions. Under the ownership of Tom Wagner and Tom Brady, Birmingham is planning an “aggressive” transfer window, recently being linked with a move for Crystal Palace’s Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.
Understanding the competition they’ll face — including fellow Hollywood-backed outfit Wrexham and the recently relegated teams — next season promises to be a challenging one as Birmingham seeks to end a long absence from the top flight.
Last time Birmingham City were in the Premier League
Wagner aims for promotion during the 2025/26 season and the team has already started making moves in the transfer window to assist manager Chris Davies in their pursuit of back-to-back promotions. EFL Analysis has reported that Birmingham has agreed to sign James Beadle from Brighton, who is set to become the new number one for the Blues next season. Signing one of the most highly-rated young goalkeepers is a significant declaration of intent from the Birmingham hierarchy, and further signings of a similar caliber will be essential to ending the club’s 14-year absence from the Premier League.
The last time Birmingham City was in the Premier League was during the 2010/11 season, where they finished in 18th place under manager Alex McLeish, just one point shy of safety.
Birmingham City in 2010/11 Premier League
– Wins – 8
– Draws – 15
– Losses – 15
– Points – 39
– League position – 18th
Relegation sent Birmingham down to the Championship for 14 years, followed by relegation to League One in May for the first time in 29 years. However, the club is on the rise again, with a strong focus on securing promotion to the Premier League, boasting a squad vastly different from that of their most recent top-flight starting XI.
Birmingham City’s last starting XI compared to most recent Premier League starting XI
With 14 years gone since Birmingham last competed in the Premier League, and that absence extending to at least 15 by mid-next season, Wagner hopes to put an end to that. In May 2011, Birmingham was defeated 2-1 at Spurs, confirming their relegation from the top tier. Fast forward to this season, the Blues managed a 2-1 victory at Cambridge United, wrapping up their record-breaking season on a high note.
A key difference in the starting XIs is Birmingham City’s all-time record signing, Jay Stansfield, who joined from Fulham last summer for an initial reported fee of £15 million, breaking the League One transfer record.
Birmingham starting XI vs Spurs (May 22, 2011) Birmingham starting XI vs Cambridge (May 3, 2025)
– Ben Foster ➜ Ryan Allsop
– Stephen Carr ➜ Ethan Laird
– Roger Johnson ➜ Christoph Klarer
– Liam Ridgewell ➜ Grant Hanley
– Curtis Davies ➜ Lee Myung-jae
– Seb Larsson ➜ Marc Leonard
– Craig Gardner ➜ Paik Seung-Ho
– Jean Beausejour ➜ Willum Þór Willumsson
– Barry Ferguson ➜ Luke Harris
– Keith Fahey ➜ Taylor Gardner-Hickman
– Cameron Jerome ➜ Jay Stansfield
Cameron Jerome netted three goals in 34 Premier League appearances during the 2010/11 season, while Stansfield shone this season with 19 goals in 37 League One games. While the disparity between the top flight and the third tier is significant, Blues supporters are optimistic that the 22-year-old Stansfield can lead Birmingham back to the Premier League next season, marking the end of their 14-year wait.
