Birmingham City and their Championship rivals will soon be allowed to add players to their squads. The transfer window opens on June 15, but much of the groundwork is already underway. Recruitment is a year-round operation, and while manager Chris Davies focuses on tactics and team selection, the club's transfer team is busy drawing up shortlists.
Blues signed 12 players last summer and a further six in January, following 20 arrivals during their League One title-winning campaign. Davies estimates that six new signings—excluding potential permanent deals for loanees Jhon Solis and Ibrahim Osman—are needed to improve on their 10th-placed finish next season.
Before examining the five key decision-makers in recruitment, it’s worth understanding the data-driven process. Director of football Craig Gardner explained at an Open House event: “If we're looking to recruit a centre-half, we put in the player profile—heading, running, turning, technical ability, one-on-one situations. The system then spits out 200-300 centre-backs, and we narrow it down. We adjust profiles based on affordability, and then we produce a top five list for Chris. We do this for every position. We also run simulations to see how the player would fit into the team and where we might finish in the table.”
Craig Gardner
Gardner, a former Blues midfielder and Carling Cup winner, has become the figurehead of the football side. He worked his way into a position of power under previous owners and played a major role in the takeover. After Knighthead took charge, Tom Wagner said: “Without his help we would never have completed this transaction.” The 39-year-old was promoted to director of football last year, overseeing all first-team and academy staff. He heads the expanding recruitment team at Henley-in-Arden and is a key negotiator in transfers.
Joe Carnall
Carnall is Blues’ head of recruitment, having first worked for the club as an analyst under Steve Bruce. After a stint at Nottingham Forest, he returned in 2014 under Gary Rowett, then followed Rowett to Derby, Stoke, and Millwall. He rejoined Blues in 2023 as chief scout and was promoted to head of recruitment after the club’s relegation in 2024. Carnall, 40, has been instrumental in implementing a data-driven approach and played a leading role in signing Demarai Gray and Marvin Ducksch.
Steven Spencer
Former footballer and agent Spencer joined Blues’ recruitment team in a newly-created role in 2024. His title is head of first team recruitment data, making him a key player in drawing up player lists. He is currently completing a postgraduate diploma in sport directorship with the Professional Footballers' Association.
Chris Davies
As manager, Davies hand-picks the preferred option from the top-five list produced by the recruitment team. He said: “From my point of view, it's a good process. As a football manager you always want to feel like you're making the final decision on a player coming in, so that's absolutely the case.” However, some signings, like Kanya Fujimoto, have raised questions about alignment between manager and recruitment team. Due to the hectic nature of his job, Davies relies on the team to do the necessary checks.
Andrew Shannahan
In the absence of Wagner, Shannahan is Knighthead’s main representative at Blues. He stayed in the shadows until Wagner highlighted his contribution when the club won the League One title. The pair carried the trophy out together. Shannahan was the go-to for Davies and Gardner last season and will likely sign off on recruitment decisions. He is an advocate for data-led decision making.
