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Birmingham City fans are left to reflect on an outstanding campaign in League One as they confirmed their return to the Championship.
After Birmingham won the League One title at a record-breaking pace, predictions are now flying in ahead of their return to the second tier.
One EFL expert tipped Birmingham to spend big in the transfer window, and co-owner Tom Wagner has already said they will flex their financial muscles.
Much like Ipswich Town two years ago, Chris Davies’ men will have ambitions of winning promotion to the Premier League.
Encouragingly, several players in their current squad will be ready for the Championship step up, including one man who was unfortunate to be snubbed for an EFL award.
- READ MORE: Sky Sports pundit says Birmingham City are like one Premier League club but are ‘even’ better
Ali Maxwell thinks Christoph Klarer should have won the League One Player of the Season Award
As the 2024/25 campaign draws to a close, stand-out players across the EFL are gaining recognition for their contributions.
Birmingham midfielder Tomoki Iwata was shortlisted for the Player of the Season award alongside Barnsley attacker Davis Keillor-Dunn and Wycombe Wanderers striker Richard Kone.
Kone, who scored 18 goals for the Chairboys, won the award ahead of Iwata and Keillor-Dunn, but EFL expert Ali Maxwell felt centre-back Christoph Klarer should have taken home the trophy.
Speaking on the Not The Top 20 podcast, Maxwell explained: “For me, Christoph Klarer is a standout performer in League One this season and should have won this award.
“He’s been their most important player; the standards he sets in and out of possession are absolutely huge. Yeah, they’ve got some good midfield players, and Iwata was nominated for the award, and some of Iwata’s goals in the early part of the season, in particular, had him pretty high on people’s radars.
“But for me, Klarer is almost as important to their possession play, he plays so many passes per game, the quality of his passing short and long is backed up in the FotMob data. He gets into the opposition half and if he gets in the final third, he’s not a massive negative like most centre backs would be in that position.
“But also his aggression, the way he carries himself, the way he snuffs out counterattacks, no one can beat him on the ground, no one can beat him in the air, he’s an astounding player for this level. Klarer, for me, is the Player of the Season in League One rather than Richard Kone.”
- READ MORE: Portsmouth and Burnley duo picked out by EFL experts as ‘worthier winners’ for Championship awards
Why Klarer deserved to win Player of the Season
Birmingham fans were annoyed Klarer wasn’t nominated for the award, and rightly so, as the data and his outstanding performances back up that claim.
The 24-year-old has been a colossal figure at the heart of their defence, contributing heavily to their record of 19 clean sheets and only 24 goals conceded, per FotMob.
Christoph Klarer’s 2024/25 League One stats
- 73.6% aerial duels won per 90
- 7.45 duels won per 90
- 68.4% dribble success
- 88.1% passing accuracy
- 3.24 accurate long balls per 90
- 57.3% tackles won per 90
As they head into the summer transfer window, Birmingham must build their team around the Austrian who has proven to be an unstoppable force at the back.