Birmingham City are drawing inspiration from both Wrexham and Aston Villa, according to chairman Tom Wagner, as they prepare for life back in the Championship. After clinching the League One title with a record 111 points, Wagner has set his sights on restoring Blues to the Premier League and reigniting the Second City rivalry on the grandest stage.
00:00Birmingham City are drawing inspiration from both Wrexham and Aston Villa, according to chairman Tom Wagner, as they prepare for life back in the championship.
00:10After clinching the League One title with a record 111 points, Wagner has set his sights on restoring blues to the Premier League and reigniting the second city rivalry on the grandest stage.
00:23Wagner admires Wrexham's commercial success under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, noting their ability to generate substantial revenue through storytelling and media engagement.
00:36He told The Eye, purely on the commercial side, it would be impossible to say anyone has done it better than Wrexham, who have created extraordinary revenue streams out of thin air.
00:47That is no mistake, it's a true storytelling genius that Rob and Ryan have brought to that club, and I think it's to be admired and certainly, to a degree, emulated.
00:59Simultaneously, Wagner praises Aston Villa's strategic growth under Unai Emery, acknowledging their rise as a model for long-term success.
01:07He commented, when we look at clubs that have risen quickly over the number of years, as much as some won't like me saying it, I think Villa has done an exceptional job of growing the club and the organisation and doing it in a way that should allow them to achieve long-term success, which ultimately is what we want, because we want a crosstown rival that's good, not a crosstown rival that performs poorly.
01:31Central to Birmingham City's long-term vision is the development of homegrown talent.
01:37The club recently regained Category 1 academy status, a significant milestone that enables them to attract top young prospects and provide elite training facilities.
01:49Technical Director Craig Garner emphasised the importance of a self-sustaining model, aiming to produce first-team-ready players from within.
01:57With a revitalised academy, ambitious ownership and a clear strategic direction, Birmingham City are poised to build a sustainable future,
02:07drawing lessons from both Wrexham's commercial value and Aston Villa's on-field resurgence.
