- ûBirmingham City make major US announcement that could impact Arsenal summer thinking
Arsenal transfer news as Birmingham City confirm major advancement on the ownership of their club that could impact Arsenal
Birmingham City have confirmed the details of a takeover deal led by US businessman Tom Wagner after years of unsporting ownership at the club.
Prior to the Blues’ final game of the Championship season against Sheffield United, the club confirmed that the current owners, Birmingham Sports Holdings Ltd (BSHL), will transfer 24% of the shares in the football club to Shelby Companies Limited.
Oriental Rainbow Investments Limited and Achiever Global Group Limited will also transfer 21.64% of the shares in the club, while 100% of the shares in Birmingham City Stadium Limited will be transferred to Shelby Companies Limited.
Shelby Companies Limited is managed by American hedge fund manager Tom Wagner. The company is a subsidiary of Knighthead Annuity & Life Assurance Company, with Wagner managing around €9billion (£7.1billion) of assets.
The club statement also confirms that BSHL had entered a period of exclusivity in order to finalise a sale, news that will be music to the ears of the thousands Birmingham City supporters after years of protests against BSHL.
The news from Birmingham could play a big part in the future of one of Arsenal’s players. USMNT star Auston Trusty has spent the entire 2022/23 season on loan with Birmingham, appearing 47 times in total, and was named the club’s Player of the Season in last weeks Awards night.
His performances in England’s second tier have earned him a call-up to the United States national team during the March international break. Anthony Hudson gave Trusty his senior debut in the CONCACAF Nations League triumph over Grenada.
With the Gunners returning to the Champions League and expected to fight at the top of the domestic pyramid next season, Trusty is likely to be moved to allow him to play more often. Birmingham manager John Eustace has previously stated that he wants to keep the defender, and the ownership shift might make it happen.
“What a fantastic pro, a fantastic player, he has been a great servant for us this season,” Eustace said two months ago. “As I said last week on the Friday he turned up and said ‘I am ready to play’. A fantastic attitude and his performance was brilliant as well. We are very fortunate to have good professionals here at the football club and Auston is certainly one of them.
“He is very robust, he is an athlete, very fit, a top professional, he has come over from the States and he is just living football. He has got no distractions. He goes home, watches football, comes back, plays football, eats the right stuff. He is a true professional and I think him coming back in the team last week – what a difference it made.
“I would love to keep him. I am sure there is a chance, definitely – but it’s out of my control. All I can say is I would love to keep him at the football club and I think all the fans would love to see him stay at the football club as well. When we want to build those are the kind of characters we want here so he would be top of my list.”
