How much money Tom Wagner forks out on Birmingham City wages as Brentford star is eyed | OneFootball

Blues have been heavily linked with a potential move for Brentford's Frank Onyeka

Birmingham City have already completed a handful of eye-catching transfer moves since the current window opened on New Year's Day, with Chris Davies overseeing a squad reshuffle which he hopes will help propel his side closer towards the Championship play-off places.

It had been well-documented that Blues needed to conduct a successful window between then and the upcoming deadline on Monday, February 2nd, in order to give themselves a desired advantage over several second tier rivals in what remains a congested fight for the top six as the campaign continues to move through the opening month of 2026.

So far, four signings have come through the door at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, whilst a handful of players have also departed on permanent deals or through the early terminations of their contracts or loan agreements.

The quartet of Kai Wagner, Jhon Solis, Ibrahim Osman and £6m-rated Danish youth international forward, August Priske, have added further depth and quality to all of Davies' defensive, midfield and attacking departments respectively.

However, it is fair to say that Blues, whose ambitions under the ownership of Tom Wagner, may not be stopping there, as links with other potential signings are failing to dissipate.

As such, another midfield acquisition which could be completed between now and the aforementioned deadline involves Brentford's powerful Nigerian international, Frank Onyeka.

According to the Daily Mail, Blues are facing competition from Championship rivals in the form of Coventry City and Sheffield United as the Bees could accept either a loan switch with a future option-to-buy clause or an imminent permanent deal, whilst La Liga side, Valencia, are also believed to have lodged an official approach for the 28-year-old.

Another signing from an established Premier League club would only signal Blues' intent of making the play-offs between now and May, as would the fact that, according to ESTIMATED figures from Capology, Onyeka is earning a weekly salary of £40,000 at the Gtech Community Stadium.

With that in mind, Football League World have looked into some of the potential financial ramifications associated with this deal, and how they could impact both Birmingham and Onyeka, who recently impressed for the Super Eagles at AFCON.

Two-and-a-half years have passed since Knighthead Capital Management - fronted by Wagner - bought an initial 45.98 percent stake in Blues, as well as taking full ownership of St. Andrew's in the process, before a full takeover was confirmed early in November 2025.

In the aforementioned timeframe, it is fair to say that Bluenoses have continued to go on an emotional rollercoaster which has included seven different permanent or interim managers, a first relegation to League One in 30 years which was subsequently addressed through the club-record signing of Jay Stansfield and an accumulation of 111 league points last term.

Wagner has continuously spelled out his on-pitch vision for the club, which he hopes will quickly align with the recent 62,000-seater Powerhouse stadium plans which were unveiled in November.

The American is hoping to lead Blues back to the Premier League for the first time since May 2011, and in order to do so, has seen plenty of high-profile names arrive at the club on permanent or loan deals, which has only increased the spotlight on developments in this part of the Second City.

Although supporters of rival clubs have often spoken about the funding which is now at Blues' disposal under Wagner's ownership, according to Capology, the West Midlands club only have the ninth-largest wage bill in the division at an overall figure of £382,500 per week and an annual sum of £19.89m.

It has been a mixed four-and-a-half year stint in West London for Onyeka, having made just 87 appearances since joining from FC Midtjylland in the summer of 2021 under Thomas Frank.

After spending the Dane's final season at the Gtech on loan with FC Augsburg, the midfielder has made just nine competitive appearances under Keith Andrews, leading to speculation over his future after an impressive AFCON tournament, during which he played alongside Blues full-back, Bright Osayi-Samuel.

Whilst it remains to be seen if Blues would be paying the full extent of his ESTIMATED £40,000 per week wage, it would draw Onyeka level with the top earner in B9, which is reportedly, and rather unsurprisingly, Japanese international forward, Kyogo Furuhashi.

It is also unclear whether Davies will continue to push for Onyeka's services after Solis' initial loan switch from Girona was confirmed over the weekend, although if the 40-year-old is, recent comments from Frank Lampard and Chris Wilder could suggest an advantage for Birmingham in this transfer saga.