£2m Che Adams: The bargain that became Birmingham City’s goal machine | OneFootball

Che Adams joined Birmingham City from Sheffield United for £2m in August 2016 in what would prove to be a bargain signing.

Che Adams joined Birmingham City from Sheffield United in August 2016 before going on to score a plethora of goals in what proved to be a bargain signing by the Blues.

Birmingham had just finished in 10th place in the Championship in the 2015/16 season under then-manager Gary Rowett, and were keen to build upon the following season by adding key additions to the squad.

In came the likes of Lukas Jutkiewicz on-loan from Burnley and Ryan Shotton from Derby County, as well as the £2 million signing of Sheffield United forward Adams.

The Scottish international had scored 11 goals and added two assists in 36 League One games for the Blades the season prior to signing for Birmingham, having made his way through the non-leagues before signing for Sheffield United in 2014 from Ilkeston.

Adams was an unknown quantity at Championship level, having not been particularly prolific in the third-tier. However, at just 20-years-old at the time of signing, there was much to be excited about if you were a Blues fan.

Birmingham invested in Adams' potential, and they would go on to reap all the rewards

Birmingham City robbed Sheffield United in transfer deal for Che Adams

His first season at St Andrews was turbulent, to say the least, with Rowett being sacked in December 2016 following their change in ownership, despite the Englishman having Birmingham in 7th place and challenging for a play-off position.

Adams played under three different managers that season, including Rowett, with Gianfranco Zola and Harry Redknapp also briefly at the helm. Despite this, the Scotsman managed to score seven goals and grab six assists in his first season in the second tier.

His second year with the club was less fruitful, scoring just five times and notching two assists in 30 Championship games, before exploding into life in the 2018/19 campaign.

Adams would play every single Championship game for Birmingham that season, becoming indispensable under manager Gary Monk, scoring 22 times and grabbing five assists, level on goals with current West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen - who was an emerging star with Hull City at the time.

Now 22-years-old and coming off the back of an electric season in the second tier, Adams was highly coveted, and Birmingham were about to net a healthy profit.

Che Adams net Birmingham City with an eight-figure profit from Southampton sale

Premier League club Southampton came calling in the summer of 2019 and paid Birmingham £15 million to sign Adams on a five-year deal, with the Blues netting a healthy £13 million profit from a player they had signed just three years prior.

Adams made 191 appearances for the Saints, scoring 48 goals and assisting a further 21 in all competitions across his five years with the club, with four of those seasons coming consecutively in the Premier League.

Adams left Southampton for free upon the expiry of his contract before joining Italian Serie A side Torino, where he currently remains, having scored 10 goals and added four assists across 39 appearances in all competitions during his first season at the club.

Though it was Birmingham where his talent really shone through, becoming a goal machine for the Blues before netting them a healthy return upon his departure.

Adams, of course, has played top-flight football ever since - barring the 2023/24 season, where he helped Southampton straight back to the Premier League via the play-offs - but it's still worth noting that his breakthrough goalscoring campaign in the Second City remains the most prolific of his estemed career, which Birmingham truly launched.