Birmingham City made serious money after Sheffield United deal: View | OneFootball

Birmingham City have had many players come and go from the football club in recent years, some of whom have been huge successes and some who have failed miserably.

Former striker Che Adams was a raging success for the Blues, so much so that Birmingham were able to make a huge profit on the player after buying him for such a low fee.

Birmingham City signed Che Adams for £1.5 million

In the summer of 2016, Birmingham City were in the market to sign a new striker, as manager Gary Rowett was keen to strengthen his forward line.

It was clear from early in that transfer window that the Blues had made Sheffield United striker Che Adams their number one target.

Birmingham saw two bids rejected for the striker, who had scored 11 goals in the previous campaign, before they eventually agreed to a few with the Blades.

It was announced at the beginning of August that Birmingham had agreed to a deal with Sheffield United and signed Adams for a deal believed to be worth £1.5 million.

The forward signed a three-year deal with the Blues and joined after having never played in the Championship before.

Adams had spent his first two seasons of football in League One with the Blades, appearing 10 times in his first season, with his only goal coming in the play-offs. While, as mentioned, he scored 11 goals in 36 league appearances the following campaign.

It was the 2015/16 season that earned him his move to Birmingham and would be the beginning of an exciting career.

Birmingham City signed Che Adams in 2016, and there would have been a little uncertainty about what to expect from the player, as he had never played above the third tier before.

However, Adams took to life very well with the Blues, as in his first season with the club, he scored seven goals and grabbed six assists in 40 Championship games.

He then followed that campaign up with five goals in 30 Championship appearances the next season, as well as scoring three goals in one EFL Cup game and grabbing another in the FA Cup.

Adams’ second season with Birmingham wasn’t deemed as successful as his first campaign, but it will be his third season that will be fondly remembered and the one that earned him his next transfer in his career.

The 2018/19 season in the Championship was very impressive for Adams on a personal level, as he scored 22 goals in 46 Championship games.

The forward was averaging 0.5 goals per game from the 2.5 shots he was taking. Adams could have had even more goals that season, as he missed 11 big chances, but he did have a goal conversion rate of 19%, as per Sofascore.com.

Furthermore, Adams was also key in creating chances for his teammates, as he created six big chances and collected 1.5 key passes, which helped him towards his four assists that season, per Sofascore.com.

The 27-year-old was very impressive for Birmingham, as in their first two seasons he was very much among the goals and was a key part of what the club was doing going forward.

However, it was definitely that 2018/19 season that really put himself on the map and got other teams taking notice. The forward was one of the best performing players in the Championship that season, and it was no surprise to see him get a move to the next level.

After 22 goals, Southampton made Adams a top target, and they eventually won the race for his signature, signing the striker for a fee in the region of £15 million.

That will have been disappointing for the Blues, as they lost their best player, and it will always be what could have been. But for Birmingham, it was an excellent deal, as the club made a lot of money from the player, as they bought him for a fairly low cost and then went on to sell him for a considerably higher price, which was key to helping the club in the years to come.

So, while it would have been disappointing to see a player like Adams leave, Birmingham made a lot of money from that deal, and it was probably a big help in the long term.