Birmingham City preparing for the 2024/25 season and its bid to make a quick return to the Championship.
Tom Wagner is confident that Birmingham City will have a better squad in League One than they did in the Championship.
With the 2024/25 season starting in less than two weeks, the Blues have already made some eye-catching signings, including big fees for centre back Christoph Klarer and Willum Willumsson, as well as Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Ryan Allsop, Alex Cochrane, Emil Hansson, and Alfie May.
The Blues have more than a month to add to that, while also handling the futures of outstanding midfielders Paik Seung-ho and Jordan James – and they will begin the season against Reading on August 10 (5.30pm kick-off) as hot favourites to return to the second tier.
That is definitely the objective of chairman Wagner, who has been persistent in his investment and desire to elevate standards at Blues, and in an interview with Blues TV, he made his newest promise as he examined the next year of the Knighthead regime.
“We know what we did well in our first year, we know where we need to improve,” Wagner informed the crowd. “I believe some of the achievements off the field exceeded our expectations.
“I believe we can all agree that our performance on the pitch was well below what we expected and would demand. It is incumbent on us not to even consider taking a step back.
“We’ve accelerated everything and are moving forward on all projects. Despite being relegated, we are working hard to improve our squad this season.
“I am certain that this will be the case, putting us in a great position to compete next year and beyond. “That’s the goal, period.”
Wagner has started a plan to create a new 60,000-seat stadium while simultaneously investing in the club’s current St Andrew’s home. He acknowledges that he is looking forward to seeing what fans think when they return in their hundreds on August 10.
“There has been incredible progress since the end of the season and just builds on what we did in our first 10-11 months of ownership,” he told ESPN.
“I believe many of the areas will be unrecognizable to fans when they return; I had seen the renderings before work began, and it was still jaw-dropping when I walked in.” It’s really emotional to realize how much has been accomplished in such a short amount of time.
“I’m just excited to see the reaction of our supporters when they walk in and see their stadium for the first time this season.”
