Fans were left stunned when they saw who Birmingham City have signed ahead of the 2025/26 Championship campaign.
Birmingham were promoted at a canter in 2024/25, having finished the League One campaign as champions on 111 points, while Wrexham finished second and also gained promotion.
Charlton Athletic were also promoted after they defeated Leyton Orient in the League One play-off final in May.
And an obvious comparison will be made between Birmingham and Wrexham moving forward due to their high-profile owners.
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The Red Dragons are owned by North American actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, while NFL icon Tom Brady has a minority stake in the Blues but has no voting rights.
US-based Shelby Companies Limited (SCL) hold around a 45 per cent stake while Birmingham Sports Holdings boast 51.7 per cent.
The Midlands club raised a few eyebrows in the summer of 2024 when they broke the League 1 transfer record by signing England youth and Fulham striker Jay Stansfield for a fee above £15m, as per Sky Sports.
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The Blues have already bolstered their squad this summer with former Everton, Leicester City and Al-Ettifaq winger Demarai Gray returning to his boyhood club, while midfielder Tommy Doyle has joined on loan from Premier League outfit Wolves.
Nigerian international full-back Bright Osayi-Samuel has also arrived on a free transfer after his Fenerbahçe contract expired.
Defender Phil Neumann signed a pre-contract agreement and arrived from Bundesliga 2 side Hannover 96.
But on Saturday, arguably the most surprising transfer of the lot was confirmed.
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Birmingham confirmed that they had signed former Celtic forward and Japan international Kyogo Furuhashi from French side Stade Rennais for a reported £10m.
Furuhashi, 30, won eight domestic titles during his time at Celtic and scored 85 goals in 165 games for the Glasgow-based side.
“I’m here to help the team,” Furuhashi told Birmingham’s website
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“I’d like to express what I can do on the pitch.
“I don’t want to talk a lot, but there’s a chance that we can go up to the Premier League. We all want to aim for that, and after nine months, it will be great if we share the happiness of achieving that.”
Fans on social media also had their say.
One said: “Kyogo’s about to own the league like Shelby owns Birmingham.”
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Another added: “Wow, what a great signing. I sound like a bot, but genuinely, that’s great. Birmingham are doing great business, wouldn’t be surprised if they get play-offs tbh.”
A third explained: “Furuhashi's versatility and finishing are a solid investment for Birmingham’s attacking options.”
Topics: Birmingham City, Football, Tom Brady, Wrexham, Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney
Luke Davies