Championship Kick-Off: Birmingham’s Comeback and Wrexham’s Sensational Ascent
by Joseph King
Blues hoping to carry over momentum from record League One triumph
Birmingham are back in the Championship after setting a record high points total and cruising to the League One crown last season. The Blues won’t simply be looking to avoid relegation though, nor will they be targeting a top-half finish. The goal for Birmingham will be to follow in Ipswich Town’s footsteps from the 2023-24 season and secure a rare double promotion. Many, including our England Championship prediction experts, are tipping them to do just that.
Birmingham League One performance 2024-25
| Matches Played | Position | Wins | Draws | Losses | Points | Goals scored | Goals Conceded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 1st | 34 (record) | 9 | 3 | 111 (record) | 84 | 31 |
- Top goalscorer: Jay Stansfield (19)
- Goals + assists: Alfie May (24)
Birmingham have the honour of kicking off the new Championship season when they take on relegated Ipswich Town on Friday. With the home support behind them, many are expecting Birmingham to get off to a fast start in the grueling marathon that is the 46-match Championship campaign. See what our experts make of the matchup in our Birmingham vs Ipswich Town prediction!
Birmingham transfers - Who did the Blues reinforce with in the summer?
| Player | Position | Fee paid | Market value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eiran Cashin | CB | Loan (from Brighton) | €8.00M |
| Kanya Fujimoto | CM | Free transfer | €4.00M |
| Demarai Gray | LW | Free transfer | €3.50M |
| Kyogo Furuhashi | ST | €9.00M | €9.00M |
| Bright Osayi-Samuel | RB | Free transfer | €6.50M |
| Tommy Doyle | DM | Loan (from Wolves) | €10.00M |
| James Beadle | GK | Loan (from Brighton) | €5.00M |
| Taylor Gardner-Hickman | RB | €2.40M | €2.50M |
| Phil Neumann | CB | Free transfer | €3.00M |
Birmingham were extremely active in the summer transfer window, bolstering the squad with no fewer than nine signings. Among them, exciting young players on loan in the form of Eiran Cashin, Tommy Doyle and James Beadle. They’ll also be hoping that Kyogo Furuhashi will provide them a nice boost in attacking output. The former Celtic player scored 86 goals in 167 appearances for the club in his four seasons in Glasgow.
Wrexham’s journey to the Championship - A remarkable rise
Not to be outdone is Wrexham, who will also be joining Birmingham in England’s second division this season. They exceeded expectations by securing automatic promotion from League One after finishing second behind Birmingham. The Red Dragons accumulated 92 total points to put them five points clear of third-place Stockport and achieve something that has never before been done in the EFL.
Wrexham are the first team in EFL history to have secured three straight promotions.
Just three years ago, the Welsh-based club was playing in the National League, the fifth division of English football. With their Hollywood backing in the form of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who co-own 100% of the club after buying in for $2.5 million in 2021, Wrexham have shot up the divisions and have seen the overall value of the club skyrocket. Recent reports of a potential valuation for selling a stake in the club has Wrexham listed at a staggering $475 million. Should this turn out to be correct, it would make them hands down the richest team in the Championship.
So often viewed as the perennial underdogs in recent seasons, that likely isn’t going to be the case much longer for the Red Dragons. And while they are considered an outside shot to win the Championship this year, they are right in the mix to potentially challenge for a promotion play-off spot. Will they be able to do the unthinkable and win a fourth consecutive promotion into the big show that is the Premier League?
