Birmingham City owners backed to 'spend a ton of money' amid cautious Emile Heskey, Premier League verdict | OneFootball

The former Blues striker has issued his stance on the club's well-documented ambitions

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Former Birmingham City striker, Emile Heskey, has caused plenty of debate on social media by urging the club's owners, Knighthead Capital Management, to take a slightly more cautious approach when hoping to realise their lofty and long-term ambitions.

Indeed, Tom Wagner and Co. have made continuous headlines ever since completing an initial takeover from Birmingham Sports Holdings Limited (BSHL) in July 2023 - one which was made full at the start of November 2025, eradicating any remaining parts of a recently troubled past under several Far-East ownership groups.

Blues have endured a chaotic two-year period ever since coming into the American's hands, responding to a first relegation into League One since 1995 in record-breaking fashion under Chris Davies.

Wagner has often spoken about his dream of returning the Second City outfit to the Premier League for the first time since May 2011, particularly since plans for the upcoming 'Powerhouse' stadium as part of the Sports Quarter complex in East Birmingham were first mooted.

Birmingham's ambition was then laid bare for all to see last week as those plans were unveiled, whilst on the pitch, Davies' men sit on the periphery of the play-offs in a wide-open Championship.

In the past 12 months or so, a raft of high-profile and record-breaking signings have come through the door at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, with the pick of those coming in the form of Jay Stansfield, who was the subject of an eight-figure deal which smashed Blues' and the League One transfer spend for an individual player in August 2024.

As such, plenty of eyes have been cast on developments in this part of the West Midlands, with Wagner unafraid to dream big and, at a minimum, attempting to back this up in reality.

The club's summer recruitment drive and aforementioned 62,000-seater stadium plans have, to an extent, only increased the spotlight and subsequent levels of pressure, as well as raising eyebrows as to whether Blues would be able to sustain their position in the top-flight, with the past six newly-promoted clubs all suffering immediate relegation.

Heskey understands exactly why Knighthead are taking this approach, but has urged for patience also.

“Everyone wants that, but I think realistically you’ve got to take your time and develop as a squad, and develop as a club," the former Blues forward told National World.

“You don’t want to be going up and not be ready for it. I think that’s one of the main things.

“The owners that Birmingham have who are putting in money to develop a new stadium, as well as developing the stadium for the women’s team, I think it’s fantastic."

However, it is not exactly the same viewpoint held by Football League World's Blues fan pundit, Jason Moore.

"I get what he's saying, because the natural way of the Premier League at the minute is that clubs come up and then straight back down," Moore told FLW.

"But, it depends. I think people need to give these owners credit, they're not stupid," he added.

"They know they have to be making a lot of revenue to be able to spend a lot of money. They are not stupid.

"Let's say, hypothetically, we were to go up this season, we'd be more than well-equipped to spend a ton of money," Moore claimed.

"I obviously could be wrong. But, you don't get any reward without risk.

"A year of consolidation (in the Championship), what does that do? It just delays everything by a year for us.

"I disagree. The idea and premise is fine, but I disagree," our fan pundit stated.

"These owners are going to want to get there this season if we can. And, if we do get there this season, they're going to be ready for it. They're not stupid.

"Full steam ahead for me. I trust Wagner and the club."

Birmingham City will hope to continue momentum amid Premier League ambitions

Like many of their divisional rivals, Blues have had a mixed opening three months of the season, but have certainly found their groove in recent weeks.

A run of two victories between August and October put some form of pressure on Davies amid continued backing by Wagner, and such faith has certainly been repaid on home turf with three successive wins and 12 goals being scored.

As well as being on the brink of the top six, there isn't the largest of gaps between Birmingham and the automatic promotion places either, meaning there is every chance promotion could be achieved at present, especially with there being no international breaks until late March, allowing runs of momentum to gather even quicker pace.