Birmingham City: £6.3m star's time at Blues ended in disaster - He's now playing in Cyprus | OneFootball

Ivan Sunjic departed Birmingham City after their relegation to League One

Birmingham City hasn't been afraid to splash the cash under the ownership of Knighthead Capital Management, although they also spent some hefty fees under the tenure of the controversial BSHL group too.

The feel-good factor is back at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park for the first time since Blues lifted the EFL Cup back in 2011, with the hope that Premier League football isn't a million miles away, such is the ambition which Tom Wagner has showcased.

Such an atmosphere is a far cry from BSHL's days in the boardroom, which saw supporters of the Second City outfit stage multiple protests amid a backdrop of uncertainty, financial penalties, a half-empty stadium and a revolving door of managers, which all began in 2016 and lasted for seven years.

Despite several battles against the drop, the club weren't afraid to spend big, although the likes of Jota, who joined from Brentford under Harry Redknapp, would fail to live up to his price tag on a consistent basis.

Fast-forward to the summer of 2019, just months after Blues were hit with a points' deduction for breaching financial regulations, the West Midlands side would invest a then club-record £6.3m in the services of Bosnian midfielder, Ivan Sunjic.

The deep-lying midfielder would endure a mixed period at St Andrew's, and whilst Birmingham are now set for a first-time promotion back to the Championship, the 28-year-old's first move after his departure last May, landed him a stint in European football with Cypriot First Division side, Pafos FC.

Ivan Sunjic's spell at Birmingham City was expensive - and it ended in disaster

At the time of Sunjic's arrival from Dinamo Zagreb, Birmingham were a club undergoing transition, with Pep Clotet taking over the reins following Garry Monk's departure in the off-season.

The former Croatian Under-21's captain had made 44 appearances for the reigning champions at the time of his exit, which included a handful of appearances in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

Unsurprisingly, there was plenty of anticipation regarding how Sunjic could aid Blues' progression in the second tier as a result, and despite his first goal for the club being a stunning effort against Derby County, he couldn't help the club progress higher than 20th regardless of plenty of 'solid, if not spectacular'-type performances alongside current Real Madrid superstar, Jude Bellingham.

"He has established himself very well in that position. And I think he is a player who understands this league and has managed to perform from his first day. That is not easy. He is a player who puts the team before himself and that is something very difficult to find in young players. And I think you will see a better player as the season goes on," Clotet said in October 2019.

A similar trend in terms of performance levels from the midfielder continued over the course of the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons despite further managerial changes, although it was still increasingly difficult to justify the lofty seven-figure sum and five-year contract.

Following John Eustace's appointment in the summer of 2022, Sunjic would go on to feature 19 times for Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga as Blues looked to trim down their hefty wage bill after plenty of underwhelming big-money transfers.

By the time the midfielder returned to the West Midlands, the outlook of the club had completely changed after Knighthead's takeover, and he would immediately be reintegrated into the squad under Eustace and registered two assists before the American ownership group decided to appoint Wayne Rooney.

Sunjic would go on to feature 40 times for Blues across all competitions in his final season, with his last goal for the club coming in a 3-0 success against Coventry City last April, although it wouldn't be enough to halt the club's chaotic slide into League One for the first time in 30 years.

Ultimately, the club would garner no funds whatsoever, making a £6.3m loss on the midfielder's services as he would depart on a free after the expiration of his contract alongside 13 other players - relegation, coupled with the fact he left for absolutely nothing means it was a disasterous end to his career in the Midlands.

How Ivan Sunjic has fared since leaving St. Andrew's - he's now in Cyprus

It took Sunjic nearly three months to find his next club, eventually moving to Pafos on 2nd August, making his debut in a UEFA Conference League qualifier against Bulgarian outfit, CSKA 1948 Sofia.

The former NK Lokomotiva man would net his first goal for the club in just his second league appearance in a 3-1 home victory against Anorthosis, before also scoring in a 2-1 success against Omonia 29 Maiou in October.

A strong run of form also coincided with his first call-up to the Bosnia and Herzegovina squad in November, making his debut in a 7-0 defeat against Germany, before completing 90 minutes against the Netherlands just days after.

Sunjic also featured heavily under Juan Carlos Carcedo in the UEFA Conference League, although the club's run in the competition was ground to a halt by Swedish outfit, Djurgardens at the Round of 16 stage.

It's clear that Pafos will view this transfer as a success thus far, having acquired the midfielder's services for next-to-nothing, whilst Blues fans will still feel somewhat underwhelmed that Sunjic didn't quite live up to his price tag in B9.