£1.5m Birmingham City star surely set for St Andrew's exit in 2026 | OneFootball

Emil Hansson has had a difficult time since his arrival at Birmingham City, so an exit in 2026 feels inevitable.

Birmingham City have been bold and ambitious in the transfer market over the past two years under their US owners.

The investment that went into the club in the summer of 2024 caught the attention of many in English football, as Blues were breaking records with their spending, and the signing of Jay Stansfield from Fulham in an initial £15m deal was the standout move.

That level of investment meant Blues didn’t need to overhaul the squad following promotion, although they did once again make some big signings, but the jury is still out on just how good that business has been.

Emil Hansson failed to make a positive impact at Birmingham City

As is the case with any club, Blues’ dealings as a League One club weren’t faultless, and one player who failed to hit the heights expected was Emil Hansson.

The Swedish winger arrived with decent pedigree, as he was bought by Feyenoord as a youngster, he played for Hannover 96 in Germany, and Hansson was impressing back in the Netherlands with Heracles when Birmingham agreed a £1.5m deal to sign him.

After recording a remarkable 34 goals and assists to help Heracles back to the top-flight, he scored five and registered six assists in just 24 games in the Eredivisie.

So, it was a transfer that was seen as a real coup for Birmingham, as Hansson’s CV suggested he could’ve gone straight to the Championship.

However, for whatever reason, the 27-year-old struggled with his adaptation to English football, even if Chris Davies was initially willing to give him a run in the team.

Like all forward players, Hansson was going to be judged on goals and assists, but he found the net just once, and created two goals, in 20 League One appearances, which simply wasn’t good enough, particularly when you take into account he was playing for a dominant Blues team.

As the campaign progressed, Hansson’s influence on the team significantly reduced, and with Davies bringing in several wingers this summer, a move was always on the cards after Blues had returned to the Championship.

Birmingham City will have to cut their losses with Emil Hansson in 2026

The £1.5m fee was a substantial sum by League One standards, so you would expect Hansson to have commanded a decent salary as well.

Therefore, it wasn’t going to be easy to shift the 27-year-old after his struggles, and that proved to be the case, with the winger joining Blackpool in August.

From Blues’ perspective, the loan was understandable. If Hansson had a productive year in League One, it may convince clubs in the Championship to take a chance on him, and they would look to recoup as much of the money they’d paid as possible.

As it transpires, Hansson’s struggles in England have continued, with Blackpool in the relegation zone and facing a battle to stay in the third tier.

Hansson is yet to score for his new club in the league, and he has managed just one assist, but it could be argued that he has improved since Ian Evatt was named as the new head coach.

Either way, it seems inevitable that Hansson will return to Birmingham, and he will have one year to run on his contract at St. Andrew’s in the summer.

That will already put Blues in a vulnerable position when it comes to trying to get the best fee possible, and key figures at the Midlands outfit will surely accept that they have to cut their losses on the player.

There will be no hard feelings towards Hansson, as sometimes transfers just don’t work out, and he always gave his all when in a royal blue shirt.

Nevertheless, it was a rare transfer from the summer of 2024 that didn’t work out, and it seems as though Hansson has already played his last game for Birmingham.