How Birmingham City's perfect summer transfer window would look | OneFootball

Birmingham City’s perfect 2025 summer window includes key signings in goal, midfield, attack, and out wide to boost promotion hopes.

As Birmingham City prepare for a busy summer transfer window with the aim of challenging for back-to-back promotions, ambitions are high in the second city.

The Blues had a record-breaking season in League One this campaign. Birmingham finished their 2024/25 campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 defeat of already relegated Cambridge United at the Abbey Stadium to take their points total to 111 from their 46 games.

That smashed the previous all-time EFL points tally of 106, which was set by Reading as the Royals won promotion to the Premier League in the 2005/06 season.

Birmingham broke their club-record transfer fee for Jay Stansfield last summer in what was a window of heavy spending by Championship standards, let alone League One, and something similar this summer will put them in an excellent position to challenge for top-flight football once again.

Having already secured a permanent deal for Hannover 96 defender Phil Neumann, what would a perfect transfer window look like for Birmingham?

Goalkeeper - Mark Travers

AFC Bournemouth

The club are reportedly eyeing Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers as they ramp up efforts to strengthen their squad ahead of the new season, following the conclusion of their League One campaign.

As part of their summer rebuild, Birmingham brought in two new goalkeepers, local lad Ryan Allsop and Northern Ireland international Bailey Peacock-Farrell to battle it out for the starting spot.

Although Peacock-Farrell began the season as first choice, it was Allsop who eventually claimed the number one jersey. That said, Allsop's involvement was interrupted after September, with injury restricting him to just two further league appearances in March.

With goalkeeping reinforcements expected to be a priority once again this summer, fresh signings between the posts could raise further questions about Peacock-Farrell’s future. Limited largely to cup outings last term, he struggled to make a convincing case for a regular league role and may now be facing an uncertain path at St Andrew’s.

One name reportedly on the radar is Travers. The Republic of Ireland international spent the second half of last season on loan at Middlesbrough, having slipped behind Kepa Arrizabalaga in the pecking order at Bournemouth. If Kepa remains with the Cherries, Travers could be on the move again, with another Championship stint likely.

Having featured 46 times under Scott Parker during Bournemouth’s 2021/22 promotion-winning campaign, Travers brings proven quality at this level. He would offer Birmingham both a reliable presence in goal and serious competition for Allsop in the battle for the starting spot.

Defensive midfielder - Yannik Keitel

VfB Stuttgart

As the Blues potentially look for both cover and competition for Tomoki Iwata, a rouge shout for a potential target this summer is recent German cup winner with VfB Stuttgart, Yannik Keitel.

The 25-year-old defensive midfielder has been unable to land a permanent place in Stuttgart's midfield this campaign after arriving from Freiburg on a free transfer last summer. This, however, is not down to a lack of talent or quality, and more down to the talent of both Angelo Stiller and captain Atakan Karazor ahead of Keitel in the pecking order.

Keitel has made 11 Bundesliga appearances for the Swabians this term, alongside four appearances and a fantastic long-range goal against Young Boys in the Champions League.

With the cup winners preparing to give a good account of themselves in the Europa League next term, Keitel could find himself on a potential departures list as the club look to raise funds to strengthen. The project at Birmingham could also be an enticing one, should the German midfielder look for more first-team football in an ambitious side.

An accurate passer of the ball, and an extremely hard worker with good energy, Keitel's style would fit the Championship perfectly, and would be an excellent addition for competition at not too high of a fee.

Winger - Kwame Poku

Peterborough United

According to a report by Give Me Sport, Birmingham City have offered Kwame Poku a contract to link up with Chris Davies in the West Midlands next season, but the club will have to be wary of interest from the likes of Sunderland and Sheffield United for the 23-year-old. Football League World also reported that ovver was set to include punchy weekly terms.

Poku was one of the biggest forward threats in League One this season, with the 23-year-old raising the eyebrows of so many EFL clubs after his 12 goals and eight assists from 27 league appearances.

One of the few positives to Posh’s dismal 18th-placed finish this campaign, it appears the club have come to terms that he will be leaving in the summer, and Birmingham have been clever to recognise that and pursue a deal as quickly as possible.

Winger - Jesurun Rak-Sakyi

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace are reportedly willing to listen to offers for winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, a development that could catch the attention of Birmingham City’s recruitment team. As the Blues look to bolster their options out wide this summer, Rak-Sakyi, an explosive, left-footed right-winger known for his pace and flair, fits the profile of the kind of attacking threat they’re seeking.

According to News Shopper, the FA Cup-winning Eagles have made the Championship-proven talent available for transfer.

The 22-year-old was previously linked with a loan switch to Birmingham City in 2023 following a standout campaign with Charlton Athletic in League One, where he tallied an impressive 23-goal contributions and swept the club’s end-of-season awards.

However, a loan move didn’t materialise for the 2023/24 season, and instead, he featured in six Premier League matches for Crystal Palace before heading out to the Championship later that summer.

Rak-Sakyi joined Sheffield United, where he has since scored seven goals and made 35 league appearances under Chris Wilder, starting 22 of those games. His decision to pursue a loan move came after struggling to establish himself under new Palace boss Oliver Glasner, with limited opportunities prompting him to seek regular minutes elsewhere.

Striker - Fisnik Asllani

TSG Hoffenheim

22-year-old Fisnik Asslani has played a crucial role in SV Elversberg's remarkable rise to the 2. Bundesliga promotion race, ahead of their eventual promotion/relegation play-off loss against Bundesliga side Heidenheim.

On loan from Hoffenheim, Asslani has scored 18 goals in Saarland this term, and his quality has seen him linked with a move away from Sinsheim this summer, with clubs across Germany and the continent interested, as per GGFN.

Across the regular season, Asslani found the back of the net 18 times in a free-flowing Elversberg side, taking the town with just 12,000 inhabitants to the brink of top-flight promotion. With a potential move away from parent club Hoffenheim on the cards, Asslani is the exact type of statement signing that should be on Birmingham's list as they look to establish themselves as promotion contenders sooner rather than later.

Asslani would provide competition and, most importantly, a vital different option to 17-goal man Jay Stansfield, Birmingham's record signing from a year ago.

While mid-table Bundesliga sides Borussia Mönchengladbach, Werder Bremen and Freiburg are interested, a potential shot at Premier League football could prove an enticing offer for the youngster, as proven in the past with the likes of Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota and Joao Pedro who were all able to springboard their careers by moves to England's second tier.

What a successful summer looks like for Birmingham City

A successful summer for Birmingham would involve securing a proven Championship goalkeeper, reinforcing the midfield with a versatile and more defensive-minded player, adding at least one creative and clinical wide player, and finally, adding a striker who can offer a different dimension to Jay Stansfield.

While the names mentioned may not come to fruition, if Chris Davies' side can land profiles akin to those mentioned, they could be well-positioned for a fantastic bedding-in season back in the second tier.