Birmingham City completed ‘one of the most difficult’ transfers ex-Man Utd chief has been part of

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Birmingham City were involved in a ‘difficult’ transfer, one former Manchester United chief has said this week.

The Blues are gearing up for life back in the Championship following relegation to League One in 2023/24.

Birmingham City had been struggling in the second tier for some time before eventually going down, but things are looking up now.

One year before their demotion to League One, Birmingham had sold Tahith Chong to Luton Town for around £4m.

Now, an insight into how the club’s initial signing of the former Manchester United man has been provided this week.

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Birmingham City’s signing of Tahith Chong was ‘difficult’ for Manchester United chief

Speaking on The Overlap Breakdown Podcast this week, Manchester United’s former Head of Negotiations, Tom Keane, has been discussing Birmingham’s move for Chong.

The Midlands outfit signed the now 25-year-old back in September 2022 after initially landing the player on loan.

Keane has opened up on the deal, branding it ‘one of the most difficult’ he’s been part of.

He said: “I remember one of the most difficult deals I worked on was the Tahith Chong deal, when he signed for Birmingham permanently.

“You’ve got that disparity in what he was earning at Man Utd and what he was going to earn at Birmingham.

“You’re trying to bridge that gap, but then you’re also dealing with a club where there’s a good opportunity for him but they couldn’t potentially, on the face of it, not match the valuation. My role is to work out what’s a compromise and a scenario that can work for everybody. So that was one of the more difficult ones.”

How Tahith Chong is faring since leaving Birmingham City

As already mentioned, Chong left St Andrew’s to link up with Luton, who were on the rise at the time.

The 25-year-old played 33 Premier League fixtures and scored four goals for the Hatters during their first season inside the top flight.

Luton were relegated that campaign and struggled once more upon their return to the Championship.

Chong scored two and assisted one in 30 second tier matches this past season as his current side suffered their second relegation in as many years.