How wealthy the Birmingham City owner is compared to the EFL's richest clubs | OneFootball

FLW looks at how Blues rank against some of the EFL's wealthiest sides under Knighthead Capital Management's ownership

Birmingham City's short and long-term future are currently in very safe hands under the American ownership group of Knighthead Capital Management, who are fronted by Tom Wagner.

After completing a deal which saw Shelby Companies Limited - a subsidiary company of Knighthead's - acquire a 45.98% stake in the club and take full ownership of St Andrew's, Blues have undergone a vast transformation in the space of a year-and-a-half, despite taking a step back to move forward, although Chris Davies' side are well on their way to achieving a first-time promotion back into the Championship.

Knighthead's investment has grabbed all kinds of attention on a local, national and global scale, which was epitomised by the club and League One record-breaking deal to sign Jay Stansfield on a permanent basis from Fulham, with the star striker under contract in B9 until the summer of 2031 at present.

Indeed, with plans to build a £3bn 'Sports Quarter' complex in East Birmingham on the site of Birmingham Wheels, of which Wagner and co. have invested at least £100m into at present as 8,400 new jobs are set to be generated, the future is very promising for those in the blue half of the Second City after years in the doldrums.

With that being said, Football League World has taken a look into the 56-year-old's reported net worth, and how that stacks up against some of the richest and most high-profile owners across the EFL.

Tom Wagner's net worth as owner of Birmingham City

Wagner, who can so often be spotted in attendance at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park or following Blues on their travels amongst a vociferous away contingent, founded his hedge fund business in the summer of 2008 alongside Ara Cohen.

According to the company website, Knighthead, which operates in New York, Florida and Connecticut, is "managing $9bn (£7.15bn) worth of assets across a variety of investment vehicles", as they specialise in distressed credit.

The man who is at the front and centre of both the US firm and Blues' current day-to-day operation, is said to have a net worth of just £1.34bn ($1.6bn) according to a report from Birmingham Live last month, as Wagner was among those in attendance for the second 'Hollywood' clash of the season between the West Midlands side and Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground on January 23rd.

Iconic NFL quarterback Tom Brady also owns a 3.3% stake in Birmingham at this moment in time. However, as much as the 47-year-old's influence has proven inspirational for those in Royal Blue on the training pitch and on matchdays, Brady is said to have a net worth in between the ranges of $300-$500m at this moment in time.

As previously mentioned, Blues' first encounters with Wrexham in League One since 1995 generated plenty of discourse, not least due to the notorious A-listers of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney sitting in the Red Dragons boardroom.

However, Birmingham are more-than winning the battle in terms of financial flexibility over their promotion rivals, who they may also meet in the EFL Trophy Final on April 13th, with Reynolds said to have a net worth of $350m, whilst his co-owner has a valuation of just $50m.

Leeds United and Stoke City are two sides in the Championship who boast extremely wealthy owners, with Denise DeBartolo York - the co-chair of San Francisco 49ers and the Whites through 49ers Enterprises - reportedly holding a net worth of $6.7bn, whilst Potters chairman John Coates is believed to be the 808th-richest person in the world according to calculations from Forbes, with the lifelong supporter and Bet365 CEO valued at $4.3bn, which equates to approximately £3.3bn.

Wagner's current net worth also makes him wealthier than four counterparts in the Premier League.

Bournemouth owner Bill Foley and Brighton chairman Tony Bloom won't be too fussed about that given the Cherries and Seagulls' respective European pursuits at this moment in time, whilst the Blues chairman also has stronger financial muscle than Sport Republic and Katharina Liebherr of Southampton and Matthew Benham of Brentford.

However, the man in the hotseat in the B9 boadroom continues to oversee an exciting period in Birmingham's history with plenty of high-profile sponsorship deals being struck including Nike, Undefeated, Heineken and Delta Air Lines, as well as the current predicament on the pitch, as Wagner hopes to see Blues back in the top flight and competing with the likes of bitter rivals, Aston Villa, by 2026.

Such ambition has to be commended, as much as outsiders would claim it is slightly unrealistic given the future challenges the second tier are likely to present, but no one can deny that the West Midlands side have plenty of momentum behind them at present.