Birmingham’s dream Championship XI for 2025-26 includes SEVEN new signings
After smashing the League One points record last season, Birmingham City already rank among the promotion favourites for the Championship.
Under the ownership of Tom Wagner, the Blues have gone from strength to strength over the last 12 months and they’re ready to splash the cash in the second tier this season.
Based on current transfer rumours, here’s what Birmingham’s XI could look like next season in the Championship.
GK: James Beadle
Having just won the European Under-21 Championship with England, Beadle is now back in the country and is expected to complete his loan deal to Birmingham.
The Brighton youngster has spent the past couple of years on loan with Sheffield Wednesday and has proven himself as a steady pair of hands in the Championship.
Aged 20, Beadle still has the best years of his career ahead of him yet and Birmingham fans will no doubt be excited to see him in action.
RB: Bright Osayi-Samuel
Upon his contract expiring with Fenerbahce, Birmingham are currently in talks to sign the 27-year-old on a free transfer.
Capable of playing as a full-back or out-and-out winger, it remains to be seen where Birmingham will utilise the pacey wide-man.
Championship fans will already be familiar with Osayi-Samuel from his time at QPR and he’d be an excellent addition for Blues, given his versatility.
CB: Christoph Klarer
The Austrian centre-half looked like a cut-above the competition in League One and he’ll almost certainly take to Championship life with ease.
Birmingham kept an impressive 22 clean sheets last season and Klarer played a key role, starting in 43 of their 46 league fixtures.
CB: Phil Neumann
In January, Birmingham struck a deal with Neumann, signing him on a pre-contract agreement with his deal with Hannover 96 set to expire this summer.
The 27-year-old centre-half comes with an excellent reputation from Germany and will likely be replacing Ben Davies in the Blues XI, who was on loan from Rangers last season.
LB: Alex Cochrane
Birmingham might be tempted to dip into the market for a new left-back, but on the back of last season, Cochrane deserves his shot at Championship football.
Only Klarer played more minutes for Birmingham than Cochrane last season, who only missed four league matches all campaign.
His consistency and durability should serve him well in the Championship.
CM: Tomoki Iwata
Capable of doing a bit of everything, Iwata looked like a Rolls-Royce in League One last season.
The Japanese midfielder loves taking a pop-shot from outside the box and definitely has the quality to step up to Championship football.
CM: Tommy Doyle
As of writing, it looks like Birmingham have won the race to sign Doyle.
The 23-year-old was only used sparingly by Wolves in the Premier League last season, with the majority of his appearances coming from the bench.
According to reports, Birmingham will initially sign the midfielder on loan, although a £10million obligation clause will also be involved in the deal.
Judging Doyle by his previous stints in the Championship with Cardiff and Sheffield United, this would be quite the statement signing from Birmingham.
RM: Oliver Antman
Along with Birmingham, the likes of Sheffield United, Leicester and Southampton have also been linked with the Go Ahead Eagles playmaker.
During 2024-25, the 23-year-old produced 21 goal contributions in the Eredivisie, notching six goals and 15 assists.
With that sort of record, it’s no wonder that several top Championship sides are currently chasing his signature.
Capable of playing on either flank, we think he’d be an ideal option for Birmingham on the right-hand side, especially with Osayi-Samuel making overlapping runs from behind him.
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CAM: Jay Stansfield
Birmingham smashed the League One transfer record when they purchased Stansfield from Fulham last summer.
The 22-year-old has already proven himself at Championship level from his initial loan stint with Birmingham in 2023-24 and he’s only going to get better from this point onward.
He’s versatile enough to play anywhere across the forward line and we wouldn’t be surprised if he’s used as a second-striker in the Championship next season.
LM: Demarai Gray
Nine years after leaving Birmingham, Gray is set to return to his boyhood club and will likely go straight into the starting XI.
The 28-year-old has spent the last two years playing in Saudi Arabia for Al-Ettifaq, but has been allowed to leave the club on a free transfer, despite still being under contract until 2027.
As part of the deal, Al-Ettifaq will have a 20 per cent sell-on clause, but given Birmingham are getting him on a free transfer, it’s safe to say that they’re getting the better end of the deal.
ST: Kyogo Furuhashi
The Japanese international left Celtic in January to join Rennes in a deal worth £10million.
However, after struggling to establish himself in France, he could be on the move once again just a few months later.
According to reports, Birmingham are pushing to secure his signature and we can’t help but think that he’d score goals for fun in the Championship.
If Birmingham manage to pull this one off, we’d be seriously impressed.