How rich Birmingham City's owners are as £16m Brighton star arrives at St Andrew's | OneFootball

Birmingham City have made yet another eye-catching loan signing in the form of Ibrahim Osman

Birmingham City have completed yet another eye-catching transfer move, as on Monday afternoon, the loan capture of Brighton and Hove Albion winger, Ibrahim Osman, was confirmed after hours of heavy speculation involving the Ghanaian winger.

Osman has moved to St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park for the remainder of the Championship season, with the Seagulls initially terminating his loan stint with AJ Auxerre of the French Ligue 1 after a difficult first period of the campaign in terms of regular starts for the 21-year-old.

It has been well-documented that Birmingham have aims of competing with the likes of Brighton in the near future, with American ownership group, Knighthead Capital Management, continuing to heavily back Chris Davies in the transfer market as the Blues boss looks to oversee a squad reshuffle in the current winter window that will help his side compete for a play-off spot between now and the end of the season.

Osman has become the third incoming of the window so far in this part of the Second City, following on from Kai Wagner's switch from Major League soccer outfit, Philadelphia Union, at the very beginning of the aforementioned timeframe, before Girona FC midfielder, Jhon Solis, also completed a loan switch which can be turned permanent - either optionally or through a mandatory appearance-based clause - at the end of the season.

Despite his struggles in France, Osman arrives in the West Midlands for his latest temporary switch with an exciting reputation, having been one of several young prospects recruited by the South Coast club in recent times.

Indeed, the three-time Black Stars international has been at the AMEX Stadium for just shy of two years now, with Brighton recruiting his services as a 19-year-old for a reported £16m fee from Danish Superliga club, FC Nordsjaelland.

Although Blues, obviously, have not parted with such a fee this time around, it is a sum of money which Bluenoses have been somewhat accustomed to seeing Wagner invest, with the club smashing their own and the League One transfer record in August 2024 to lure Jay Stansfield away from Fulham on a seven-year contract.

Amid this latest eye-catching move in the market, Football League World have recapped just how rich Knighthead are, as Blues look to mount a late surge for the top six.

How much money Birmingham City's owners Knighthead are worth

The aforementioned Wagner co-founded Knighthead Capital Management alongside Ara Cohen in 2008, having previously worked for Goldman Sachs.

The founding of the business came approximately 15 years prior to their initial takeover of Birmingham in the summer of 2023 from Birmingham Sports Holdings Limited (BSHL), after which Knighthead owned approximately 45.98 percent of the club and full control of St. Andrew's, which has been somewhat renamed to reflect such developments, as well as undergoing a £15m makeover.

As a stand-alone business, Knighthead is reportedly worth $9bn (£7.25bn), and whilst Wagner doesn't quite have as much individual wealth, he is believed to be the 11th-richest owner across the Championship.

The Boston native is believed to have an individual net worth of $1.6bn (£1.34bn), whilst Advisory Board Chairman and legendary NFL quarterback, Tom Brady, has a reported net worth of just $350m, despite winning seven Super Bowls and recently being the face of an Amazon Prime documentary which showcased the mixed fortunes Knighthead have had since taking control of the club two-and-a-half years ago.

However, they gave Bluenoses extra reasons to celebrate in November 2025 when a full takeover of the club was completed, ending any associations with the club's previously tumultuous period under Far-Eastern owners.

Although Osman is yet to make a competitive appearance for Brighton after completing his transfer in February 2024, which saw him link-up with his teammates on the South Coast in pre-season ahead of 2024/25, the main reason why Birmingham supporters have welcomed this signing with such excitement is his recent pedigree on loan at Feyenoord.

During his spell at De Kuip, Osman scored four times and accumulated a further three assists across 32 outings, with seven of those appearances also coming in the UEFA Champions League.

Predominantly a left-winger, it would be no surprise if the pacey international slotted straight into the side in Demarai Gray's absence, with the 30-year-old currently sidelined with a calf strain, whilst this could also spell the end of Lewis Koumas' spell at St. Andrew's after the break clause in his own temporary switch from Liverpool was extended last week.