Birmingham, where Iwata and Yokoyama play, spent 5.6 billion yen on transfers. A third division club has strengthened its squad more than Pep Guardiola this summer (September 1, 2024) – Excite News
Stansfield joined Birmingham on a permanent transfer. Photo/Getty Images
Will the big reinforcements pay off?
Birmingham have acquired Tomoki Iwata from Celtic on a permanent transfer, signing a three-year contract until 2027.
Birmingham, which plays in the English EFL League 1, which is essentially the third division from this season, has been actively strengthening its team this summer, adding a total of 17 players, including the aforementioned Iwata and Ayumu Yokoyama, who was acquired from Sagan Tosu. The total transfer fee that Birmingham spent on acquiring them was 35 million euros, or about 5.6 billion yen in Japanese yen.
Considering the league level of the third division, this amount is extraordinary. Many clubs acquire new players on free transfers or loans, and most clubs spent less than 1 million euros (about 160 million yen in Japanese yen) in the summer transfer market.
By the way, Premier League champion Manchester City acquired two players this summer, Sabinho and Ilkay Gundogan, but the expenditure was only 25 million euros, about 4 billion yen in Japanese yen. City did not make a forced move, but it does not happen often.
The highlight of Birmingham’s new signing is Jay Stansfield, who joined from Fulham. He was loaned from Fulham last season, but this time he will join on a permanent transfer. The total transfer fee is 23 million euros, which is about 3.7 billion yen in Japanese yen, and it is said to be the highest transfer fee in League One.
Birmingham played in the Premier League in the 2010-11 season and won the League Cup in the same year. Their reinforcements this summer will hopefully help them return to the Championship in just one year, so we’ll be keeping an eye on their battles.