We provide an insight into the Blues’ new owners and their values.
Birmingham City have plenty of reasons to be optimistic on and off the field in the early stages of their 13th consecutive season.
The Blues are now under new ownership and have had a generally positive start to the season, losing just two of their first eight games.
Birmingham are the oldest club in the Championship, where they have remained since being relegated from the Premier League in 2011 – the year they also won the Carabao Cup after a dramatic 2-1 win over Arsenal in the final at Wembley.
However, apart from a fourth-place finish and a place in the play-off semi-finals in his first season – also in the Europa League after success in the Carabao Cup – the Blues never really threatened a challenge.
A real challenge to get back on top.
In fact, they have finished bottom of the table for the past seven seasons, while Paul Caddis’s header against Bolton Wanderers prevented relegation to League One on the final day of the 2013-14 campaign.
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However, the club is certainly on the rise with John Eustace at the helm and could now bring in some decent long-term signings, including Tyler Roberts and Ethan Laird in the last transfer window from Leeds and Manchester United respectively.
And in addition to the acquisition, they received another huge boost off the field with the appointment of six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady as minority owner and new advisory board chairman.
So who is the new owner of Birmingham City?
How much are they worth?
And who is on top of it all?
Well, read on as we try to provide you with all the important information.
A subsidiary of asset management company Knighthead Capital Management, Shelby Companies Ltd (SLC) became a major shareholder in Birmingham last July, holding a 45.
6% stake and taking full control of St Andrew’s .
While Birmingham Sports Holdings retains a 51% stake, new chairman Tom Wagner has confirmed that SLC is “responsible for the future operations of the club”.
In 2008, Wagner founded Knighthead Capital, a long-term investment focused firm specializing in credit opportunities in distressed, distressed and exceptional situations across a variety of industries.
A former Goldman, Sachs & Co executive, Wagner is described as a hedge fund boss and manager of Shelby Companies Limited, part of Knighthead Annuity & Life Assurance Company and the vehicle used to acquire the Blues .
How rich is the owner of the city of Birmingham?
As of July, Knighthead Capital Management was valued at about $9 billion, while Wagner had an estimated net worth of about $1.
6 million.
EFL approved, when you combine these figures with the revenue generated from Jude Bellingham’s blockbuster transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid – with the Blues having a sell-on clause when they sold him to the guy German giant – Birmingham’s fortunes appear to be in good shape.