Birmingham City are setting their sights higher than the typical League One players this summer. Despite the club’s relegation to the third tier, their budget remains strong, and they can afford Championship salaries thanks to Knighthead’s financial support.

It wasn’t surprising to see a player like Jonson Clarke-Harris, a prolific League One scorer with Midlands connections, move to Rotherham United earlier this week. Birmingham City can aim a bit higher this summer.

However, their squad still needs some League One experience, making the decision to extend Keshi Anderson’s contract for another year a smart move. Anderson was a regular choice for John Eustace and Gary Rowett last season, showing enough quality to earn another year in the third tier. His game intelligence and work ethic saw him keep Juninho Bacuna and Siriki Dembele out of the team in the final weeks of the season.

While Anderson’s tendency to hesitate before shooting cost him goals, and he only officially recorded two assists, his value is evident. The 29-year-old is a skilful player on a relatively low salary compared to others at the club in recent years. Moreover, he has won promotion from League One before, being part of the Blackpool side that earned promotion to the Championship via the play-offs in 2021. Anderson started in their 2-1 win over Lincoln City in the final at Wembley.

Alex Pritchard, who joined from Sunderland in January, did not impress in his initial stint with Birmingham but still has two years left on his contract to make an impact. The 31-year-old midfielder has also experienced League One promotion. Pritchard starred for Sunderland in the 2022/23 season, scoring four goals and providing nine assists in the regular season before helping them secure a 2-0 victory over Wycombe Wanderers at Wembley for a place in the Championship.

Keshi Anderson is among the Birmingham City players who have won promotion from League One previously

There is another player in the Blues squad who has ripped up League One before, too. But there is a question mark over whether Dembele will stick around given the way his first season at Blues finished.

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