What Kai Wagner's done in his first match after Birmingham City exit may frustrate some Bluenoses | OneFootball

Kai Wagner performed admirably in his first match back for the Philadelphia Union

Birmingham City went into the summer transfer window with the hope of building on a settled squad ahead of their second campaign back in the Championship.

However, a transfer request from Kai Wagner to return to the USA with his family for personal reasons saw that change, as the 29-year-old re-signed for Philadelphia Union six months after his seven-year spell with the MLS ended in favour of the Championship move.

Wagner was brought to St Andrew's in the wake of Alex Cochrane's ankle injury, and was thus immediately thrown into first-team action, where he impressed during the second half of the season.

He assisted on his debut in a big win over table-toppers Coventry City, and added a couple more assists against Wrexham and Portsmouth before the end of the season.

With 54 goals created in 253 games for Philadelphia Union in seven years before his move to Birmingham, Blues fans were looking forward to seeing what Wagner could do in his first full season at St Andrew's, as Chris Davies' side looked to build on their 10th-placed finish and challenge for promotion.

That wasn't to be, though, and while the Blues were able to make a profit on the German in the six months he spent away from Philadelphia, his output will definitely be missed in 2026/27.

Kai Wagner's return match for Philadelphia Union may give Birmingham City transfer envy

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In Wagner's final season at Philadelphia, the Union won the Eastern Conference and finished with the best overall record in the MLS. However, at the mid-season break this year due to the World Cup, they were rock bottom in the Conference with one win in 15 games.

The league resumed this week, and Wagner picked up exactly where he left off on Wednesday evening, assisting in a 3-1 win over the New York Red Bulls, securing just the second victory of the season for the Union.

Understandably, Philadelphia fans were quick to praise the German online, as their assist king made his return to the club.

"Kai Wagner brings this team to a NEW LEVEL," one fan tweeted following the win. "Union fans...let's all thank Kai Wagner for coming home and saving the season," another added.

Wagner picked up the Man of the Match award on his return. "Who else?" tweeted a fan account, in response to the news.

The German's stay at St Andrew's arguably wasn't long enough for a real connection to be made between the left-back and the Birmingham fans. When the news came out about his request to return to the MLS, Blues fans were sad, but it didn't affect them as much as it would if someone else who had been around for longer had left.

However, following a perfect display in his first game back at Philadelphia, Birmingham won't help but look on, wondering what could have been if the 29-year-old had stuck around for the 2026/27 campaign.

Birmingham City will need an injury-free season from Alex Cochrane this year to quell Kai Wagner envy

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Chris Davies may be on the hunt for a new starting left-back this summer to replace Wagner, but if Cochrane can stay injury-free next season, the Blues boss may not need one.

The 26-year-old was nearly ever-present in their record-breaking League One campaign in the 2024/25 term, and registered four assists in just 18 starts before the ankle injury kept him out until mid-April.

If Cochrane can continue that vein of form throughout a whole year, the Blues may not need to set their sights on a first-choice left-back, instead using the €4.5 million they received for the German to go towards bolstering other areas that need attention.

Whoever ends up starting on the left-hand side of the back four this year at St Andrew's, though, needs to have a good season to remove any envy surrounding Wagner's performances in the MLS, though.

If the 29-year-old continues to impress across the Atlantic, there'll definitely be some Birmingham supporters wishing he'd stuck around if his replacement isn't providing the same attacking threat.