When Tom Wagner wants to see Birmingham City in the Premier League revealed | OneFootball

Blues are expected to have a strong first season back in the Championship

Birmingham City owner Tom Wagner has once again spelled out his vision to see the club back in the Premier League as soon as possible.

The American's ambitions in B9 have been well-publicised ever since Knighthead Capital Management's takeover of the club almost two years ago, with such plans remaining undeterred despite spending last season in League One.

Momentum is certainly on Blues' side at present, and many are expecting the side, who now boast an EFL and world-record total of 111 points, to become an immediate force in the Championship, as they return to the second tier as a completely different club in so many ways.

Prior to their relegation in May 2024, Birmingham had spent the past 13 seasons in the division and had only finished higher than 17th on four occasions. Despite a season of consolidation after promotion largely considered a success, Wagner has continuously spoken about his dreams of ending the club's exile from the top-flight.

That has only increased now plans for a 62,000-seater stadium and Sports Quarter, which will span 125 acres, have been boosted following confirmation of £2.4bn being invested into local transport links, including the first phase of a West Midlands Metro extension, with hopes that the complex on the currently derelict Birmingham Wheels site can be delivered by 2030.

In an interview with BBC Sport shortly after the aforementioned plans were made public, Wagner was asked about his visions for the new stadium and the club as a whole, having recently been promoted from the third tier.

Many have already argued that Chris Davies has the basis of a solid Championship squad at his disposal, with plenty of focus set to be on the likes of Christoph Klarer, his new defensive partner, Phil Neumann and club-record signing, Jay Stansfield.

The 55-year-old previously stated that he wanted the club to be back in the Premier League by 2026, meaning back-to-back promotions would have to be achieved, and those aims haven't changed heading into the new campaign.

"Ultimately, getting promoted into the Premier League (is our ambition)," he began.

"We'd like to do that as quickly as we can and then becoming highly competitive in the Prem.

"The reason we can do that, and I think this is something that is often lost on folks, if we were promoted next season, we'd immediately fall mid-table in total revenue because of the commercial partnerships that we've built up over the last two seasons," Wagner stated.

"We will do total revenue this year that is close to, if not, in line with the parachute payment clubs, as a Championship side not receiving any parachute payments.

"We'll be very active in the transfer market," he claimed. "We already have a sense as to who we'll be going after, we've got a really high-quality squad that we're assembling.

When asked if promotion could be achieved in the next 12 months, Wagner responded: "That's certainly the goal that we'll try to achieve.

"The goal has to be as good as we were last season," he concluded.

Birmingham City haven't been in the Premier League for over a generation

Despite being one of the most historic clubs in the English football pyramid, a generation of Bluenoses are still yet to experience the riches and excitement of Premier League football.

The club ended a lengthy 17-year exile from the top-flight back in 2002 under Steve Bruce, and with the current Blackpool boss and latterly, Alex McLeish at the helm, Blues spent seven of the following nine seasons among the elite. The other two ended in second-place finishes in the Championship, with the successful spell ending in May 2011, just two-and-a-half months after the club's famous EFL Cup triumph over Arsenal.

It is expected that Birmingham will invest heavily this summer alongside Wrexham, with James Beadle set to join on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion. A shock potential loan deal for Louie Barry from bitter rivals Aston Villa has also been reported alongside links to Harry Darling and Charlie Savage, whilst Football League World exclusively revealed that a £30,000 per week offer is set to be proposed to Kwame Poku.

Wagner, unsurprisingly, is loved immensely by those at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park for delivering plenty of promises and aims, and his legendary status in B9 would go through the roof if Blues were to end a 15-year hiatus from the elite this time next year, facing the prospect of Second City derbies against Villa for the first time since 2019.