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Birmingham City are looking to flex their financial muscle after earning promotion back to the Championship, with a talented winger being targeted.
With the regular seasons over in the English Football League, attention has now turned to the approaching summer transfer window.
As the league’s respective play-off campaigns begin, so do the second, third, and fourth tier clubs’ recruitment drives ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Birmingham City scorched to the League One summit at a record-breaking rate, with Chris Davies’ side ending the season on an unprecedented total of 111 points, and they are now set for an “aggressive” transfer window before their return to second tier football.
Owner Tom Wagner has implied the Blues may break their transfer record this summer, as they bid to follow the example of Ipswich Town with back-to-back promotions, with one “unplayable” winger on their radar whom Sunderland should also be targeting.
Birmingham City leading the way to sign Peterborough starlet Kwame Poku
Birmingham City have been given the green light to sign Kwame Poku from Peterborough ahead of the summer transfer window.
23-year-old Poku has been in eye-catching form in the third tier this term, scoring 12 goals and assisting eight times in 27 appearances for the Posh under Darren Ferguson, despite being sidelined from early December until March through injury.
Via the Peterborough Telegraph, Ferguson has said of Poku this season: “Kwame is just unplayable at the moment. I would hate to play against him. He needs to give someone else a chance of winning player of the month. They’ll have to rename it the Kwame Poku Trophy!
“The boy is unplayable at the moment, he’s just so good. That’s why we had to keep him in the summer. There were offers for him and there will be more offers for him.
“We’re trying to keep him and have offered him a new contract. Me and the chairman are trying our best, but it will be very tough and you can see why.”
Since the beginning of last season, Poku has scored 24 goals and notched 18 assists in 80 appearances across all competitions, equating to around one goal contribution every two games from right-wing.
EFL Analysis exclusively revealed that the Blues have been “in talks” for the third tier superstar and are pushing to secure quality in wide areas as they attempt to solidify their place in the Championship next season.
Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett supported the news, posting on X: “Birmingham City FC pushing hard for Kwame Poku from Peterborough.”
Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony has also added further credence to Poku’s potential Blues move, stating that the Birmingham switch would be “the best of his life” given the future potential for Premier League football.
Aside from Birmingham, one Championship outfit who could soon be playing in the Premier League is Sunderland, if they succeed in their second tier play-offs campaign.
As well as the Blues, the Black Cats – who face Coventry on Friday evening in their semi-final first leg – should be fighting with all their might to secure Poku’s services this summer, and it is obvious why.
Sunderland should be pushing to beat Birmingham City for Kwame Poku
The right-forward position has been a persistent problem area for the Black Cats over recent seasons, and Poku would be the perfect antidote to that.
28-year-old Patrick Roberts has scored only two Championship goals in his last 77 league outings, failing to match his dazzling dribbling abilities with goal contributions.
Sunderland signed former Leeds United winger Ian Poveda on a free last summer, but persistent injury and disciplinary issues have seen the winger play only 81 minutes of football in the second tier this term under Regis Le Bris.
Poku’s proven goalscoring record, potent attacking play, and potential to develop into an even more prolific right-winger, tick many boxes that Roberts and Poveda both fail to tick.
| Kwame Poku | Patrick Roberts | Ian Poveda |
| Games played – 27 (25 starts) | Games played – 45 (38 starts) | Games played – 6 |
| Goals – 12 | Goals – 2 | Goals – 0 |
| Assists – 8 | Assists – 7 | Assists – 0 |
Given Poku’s deal is set to expire with him being under 24, any interested outfit will have to shell out a potential multi-million pound compensation fee to Peterborough, which can also be determined by a tribunal.
Whether Sunderland achieve top flight promotion or not, the answer to their right-forward prayers lies at the feet of the Ghanaian youngster in the summer window.