"Pains me to say it" - Birmingham City domination claim made with Aston Villa, Wolves & West Brom in mind | OneFootball

FLW's Blues fan pundit feels that it's only a matter of time before they begin to compete with Aston Villa

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...

By 2030, Tom Wagner hopes that Birmingham City will have moved into their new 62,000-seater stadium in the newly built Sports Quarter.

That is according to the planning permission, which Birmingham Live reports should be submitted for approval in January, with hopes that building can commence by the end of 2026.

It's most definitely an exciting time for Blues fans on the pitch, but it's also looking increasingly positive off of it too, and it's only a matter of time before Birmingham are competing with the upper echelon of sides in England in income as well as on-field success.

20 years can be a long time in football, and Football League World asked its Birmingham City fan pundit, Aaron Bastable, whether he feels that, with the trajectory his club are going on, Birmingham will be the dominant side in the Midlands.

It's hard to predict what will happen by 2045, but Bastable feels that they'll be close to overtaking their bitter rivals by then.

Aston Villa are the only side in Birmingham's way en route to Midlands dominance

Birmingham have only competed in seven Premier League seasons since the league's formation in 1992. That represents the lowest out of the four main sides in the Midlands: Aston Villa, West Brom, Wolves, and themselves.

Therefore, it's pretty hard to envisage Chris Davies' side being the best in the area any time soon, according to Bastable.

"I wouldn't want to say we'd be the most dominant team in 20 years as, quite frankly, we have never been the most dominant team," he said.

"We could do a Manchester City and start dominating, but we won't do that because you can't spend as much money, and you're capped at what you can and can't do.

"Also, as much as it pains me to say it, [Aston] Villa are spending money, and they're finishing in the top six whilst we're a Championship team, so we're quite far behind at the moment."

There is the expectation that Aston Villa will continue to establish themselves as a European-level side in the Premier League, having finished inside the top seven in each of their last three campaigns. Bastable feels that they are what would stop Birmingham from achieving true dominance in the Midlands any time soon.

However, in 20 years, things can change, and with the fan pundit feeling that his side could be at the level of Brighton or Bournemouth in five years, 15 years on from that could see a lot more success.

"I don't think Wolves and West Brom will be in the same conversation as us [Birmingham and Aston Villa] because of the way we're both going, and I think we'll be a well-established top-flight, top ten team soon," he continued.

"I think we'll be at Brighton's level, but I'm thinking more in five years, there. 20 years is a long time...I'm going to say no, but we won't be far off."

Birmingham won't be the only side capable of growth in the next 20 years

It's a fact that Birmingham are going to be one of the more interesting teams to watch over the next two decades in terms of growth, but with the inconceivable amount of money being pumped into the game nowadays, it won't just be a case of the Blues buying their way to success.

Birmingham may be improving their stature off the pitch, but other teams will, too.

Bastable continued: "It all depends on rules and how quickly we can get promoted.

"If other teams start building new stadiums, how will they do?"

There's no doubt that Tom Wagner has given his side a head start, though, laying down the foundations for what could be a real powerhouse in English football soon enough. But if his commitments move elsewhere, or if other clubs receive similar funding in the coming years, a route to the top may not be as straightforward as it may seem right now.