{"id":170592,"date":"2025-06-09T15:39:11","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T15:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/170592\/"},"modified":"2025-06-09T15:39:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T15:39:11","slug":"birmingham-city-chief-tom-wagner-committed-to-40m-deal-despite-delay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/170592\/","title":{"rendered":"Birmingham City chief Tom Wagner &#8216;committed&#8217; to \u00a340m deal despite delay"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Birmingham City owners Knighthead have invested heavily in the Second City over the past two years<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_JS371430097.jpg\" alt=\"Birmingham City chairman Tom Wagner\" loading=\"eager\"  \/>Birmingham City chairman Tom Wagner<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Tom Wagner says <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/all-about\/knighthead-capital-management\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"KnightheadLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Knighthead<\/a> are \u2018committed\u2019 to finalising their deal for <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Birmingham<\/a> Phoenix despite a delay in negotiations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">It was announced in February that <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/all-about\/birmingham-city-fc\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Birmingham City\u2019sLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Birmingham City\u2019s<\/a> American owners had agreed to pay \u00a340million for a 49 percent stake in the Phoenix \u2013 a cricket team that plays in The Hundred under the umbrella of <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/all-about\/warwickshire\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Warwickshire<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">An eight-week exclusivity period to agree terms was extended in March and the deal is yet to be finalised.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Opening up on the reasons for the delay to <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/sport\/cricket\/articles\/cj0936eg72qo\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"BBC Sport,Link opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">BBC Sport,<\/a> Wagner said: &#8220;What everybody wants is the ability to make The Hundred even more commercially viable and to grow the product.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">&#8220;It really should see more exposure globally, so I think a number of the conversations are around how that happens and what timeframe, how that moves forward.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">&#8220;There&#8217;s a good alignment of interests and, as is the case with any negotiations, there&#8217;s always a bit of back and forth.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Knighthead have already added netball team the Birmingham Panthers to their portfolio and their influence in the Second City is set to grow in the coming years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Last week the Government pledged \u00a32.4billion to improve transport links in the region and a tram-line connecting the city centre to the Sports Quarter has been green-lighted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Acquiring the Phoenix remains an important goal for Knighthead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \"><a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/all-about\/tom-wagner\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"WagnerLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Wagner<\/a> added: &#8220;I won&#8217;t comment on the specific negotiations but what I will say is we&#8217;re very excited at the prospect of investing in the Phoenix.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">&#8220;We&#8217;re committed to it, we&#8217;re excited by it and I have every confidence we&#8217;ll get to closing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Is it a good thing Knighthead are buying other Birmingham-based sports teams? Tell us your thoughts <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/sport\/football\/football-news\/birmingham-city-chief-tom-wagner-31818768#comments-wrapper\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"HERELink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Everyday, the BirminghamLive football desk strive to deliver all manner of news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of Birmingham City content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Our dedicated reporters Alex Dicken and Brian Dick &#8211; you can follow Alex on X <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/alexedicken\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"hereLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\">here<\/a> and Brian <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/briandick\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"hereLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\">here<\/a> &#8211; follow Blues around the country and they offer you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">So much happens day to day and sometimes you can struggle to keep on top of the very latest updates as and when they occur &#8211; that&#8217;s why we have produced a daily newsletter which you can sign up to, for free, and which means you&#8217;ll have a round-up of the key stories land in your email inbox. Sign up to the Blues newsletter <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/newsletter-preference-centre\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"hereLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">You can also get all your favourite content from BirminghamLive&#8217;s Blues team on WhatsApp. Click <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/B9XQh6yFkASKxe76buz3SU\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"hereLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a> to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories and insight from in and around the club.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">If you prefer reading our Blues stories on your phone, consider downloading the BirminghamLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Blues as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Apple <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/go.skimresources.com?id=76202X1531042&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.apple.com%2Fgb%2Fapp%2Fbirmingham-live%2Fid662307361&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.birminghammail.co.uk%2Fsport%2Ffootball%2Ftransfer-news%2Fstevenage-v-birmingham-city-how-31500094\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"hereLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a> and for Android <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.birmingham.news&amp;hl=en_GB\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"hereLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Our weekly Birmingham City podcast, Keep Right On, is also available to watch and listen on all major streaming services. You can subscribe to the YouTube channel here, while you can access the podcast on Spotify <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/7i6yWhYxM6D2zuxvZdC8t4#:~:text=Welcome%20to%20the%20home%20of,occasional%20special%20guests%20and%20features.\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"hereLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a> and via Apple <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/go.skimresources.com?id=76202X1531042&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fpodcasts.apple.com%2Fgb%2Fpodcast%2Fkeep-right-on-a-birmingham-city-podcast%2Fid1707571179&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.birminghammail.co.uk%2Fsport%2Ffootball%2Ftransfer-news%2Fstevenage-v-birmingham-city-how-31500094\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"hereLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Birmingham City owners Knighthead have invested heavily in the Second City over the past two yearsBirmingham City chairman&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":170593,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7820],"tags":[855,1205,42707,748,393,4884,8159,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-170592","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-birmingham","8":"tag-birmingham","9":"tag-birmingham-city-fc","10":"tag-birmingham-city-fc-transfer-news","11":"tag-britain","12":"tag-england","13":"tag-great-britain","14":"tag-knighthead-capital-management","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114654161370513814","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170592\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}