How Birmingham City and Harry Redknapp helped create Luton Town history | OneFootball

Luton Town ended up playing a blinder with the seven-figure fee received for Isaac Vassell

It is fair to say that both Birmingham City and Luton Town are both in extremely contrasting positions to where they both found themselves in the summer of 2017.

Despite notoriously being one of the Championship's big-hitters in terms of name and stature, Blues had rarely threatened to end what was becoming a dismal spell in the second tier following their relegation from the Premier League six years previous, featuring in two dramatic final-day relegation battles in the process.

Meanwhile, the Hatters had only ended their six-year spell in the depths of non-league football just three years beforehand, with the Bedfordshire side immediately becoming a competitive force in League Two as they looked to rise back up the EFL following their well-documented previous financial woes.

With Harry Redknapp at the helm at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park at the time, there was a strong sense of optimism building around Birmingham at that particular moment, as supporters hoped that ownership group, Trillion Trophy Asia, would learn from their previous mistakes, such as replacing Gary Rowett with Gianfranco Zola, whilst the majority of players previously signed by the Italian failed to pull up any trees.

Amid a plethora of high-profile signings, the former Portsmouth boss hoped to unearth a rough diamond in the form of Isaac Vassell, who previously excelled at Kenilworth Road. However, it would be Luton who would benefit from a transfer mishap in more ways than one.

Isaac Vassell's £1m Birmingham City move symbolised dire St. Andrew's period

After coming through the Plymouth Argyle ranks, Vassell ended up dropping into non-league with Truro City, with a return of 12 goals in 45 National League South appearances catching the eye of Nathan Jones as Luton looked to assert themselves as promotion favourites.

The striker played a key role in the Hatters making the fourth tier play-offs in his first season at the club, scoring eight goals during the regular season and 14 in all competitions across 53 appearances.

However, that wouldn't be his lasting legacy at Luton as he moved to Blues for a fee in excess of £1m in August 2017 after refusing to sign a contract extension with Luton, subsequently making the step-up into the Championship for the only time in his career.

Unfortunately for Vassell, his move to St. Andrew's epitomised the irrational way in which Birmingham went about their transfer business during this particular era. After making nine appearances — only three of which were starts — and scoring the winner against Sheffield Wednesday in September 2017, the striker ruptured his ACL against Aston Villa in a goalless Second City derby.

After barely making a mark for Redknapp, who was sacked eight games into the 2017/18 season, as well as his successor, Steve Cotterill, Vassell returned to action in the latter stages of Garry Monk's only full season in B9, making just two starts and failing to get on the scoresheet alongside the likes of Che Adams and Lukas Jutkiewicz.

The remainder of Vassell's EFL career was also blighted by injury as he made just three competitive appearances for Cardiff City, whilst Luton rose up the divisions with a modern-day icon that was signed just days after his exit.

Luke Berry was integral to Luton Town's rise from League Two to the Premier League

Luke Berry made an immediate impact for the Hatters in his first season, scoring eight times in 39 appearances as the club returned to League One, before his influence was also key in achieving back-to-back promotions to the Championship despite sustaining a serious ankle issue.

Upon Luton's return to the second tier, Berry still remained a crucial part of the culture that was created, especially after the aforementioned Jones returned to the club midway through the 2019/20 season to stave off relegation.

Remarkably, the playmaker's best season in a Luton shirt in the Championship came in the 2021/22 season, as he scored six times in just 13 appearances before suffering another serious injury layoff.

He would then become a bit-part player despite his cult hero status, although his contributions proved beneficial enough to a campaign that ended in promotion to the Premier League in May 2023 after a penalty shootout success over Coventry City in the play-off final, becoming one of a select group of players to have featured for one club in all four professional leagues of the English game.

Berry would then make 17 appearances in the top flight under Rob Edwards as Luton were immediately relegated, with both of his goals coming on home turf against Nottingham Forest and Brentford.

After scoring 26 times and posting a further 17 assists in 184 games for the club, Berry has since enjoyed another promotion, becoming a fans' favourite at Charlton Athletic for his role in the Addicks' League One play-off triumph, which was once again spearheaded by Nathan Jones.

Therefore, it's fair to say that Blues have somewhat played a part in the success of two other clubs over an eight-year period, with Vassell's exit allowing Berry and Luton to complete the most remarkable of footballing tales in recent times.