Birmingham City owner hospitalised with stroke as club release statement

Birmingham City chairman Tom Wagner is 'making a good recovery' following a stroke. Wagner will be taking a step back from his responsibilities at Blues and Knighthead Capital Management while he undergoes treatment in hospital, according to the club's chief executive Jeremy Dale.

In a statement posted on the Blues website, Dale said: " Birmingham City Chairman Tom Wagner recently suffered a stroke. Thanks to rapid medical intervention, he received immediate treatment and is now receiving excellent care.

"We are pleased to share that he is making a good recovery. While he will be stepping back from day-to-day activity for a period of time to focus on his recovery, Tom remains closely connected to the club, and we all look forward to welcoming him back.

"Birmingham City Football Club is incredibly important to Tom and to the entire Knighthead team. Their commitment to the club is unchanged, and our plans and operations continue as normal under strong leadership. We appreciate your continued support and ask that you respect Tom's privacy during his recovery."

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Wagner, 56, has been actively involved since Knighthead assumed ownership of Blues in July 2023. Knighthead have not only upgraded the club's current facilities and invested heavily in player acquisitions, but have also committed to constructing a 62,000-capacity stadium at the centre of a Sports Quarter development in Birmingham.

On the field, Birmingham bounced back to the Championship last season after relegation the year before, topping League One with 111 points. They sit 10th in the Championship after 32 matches, having drawn 0-0 with West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday.

"It was a battle as we knew it would be but over the course of the game you would have to say it is pretty incredible we have not won that match," manager Chris Davies told BBC Radio WM after the draw. "There were moments around their goal, one handled off the line which was a certain penalty with VAR and one goalline clearance which was incredible. There were fantastic saves, we hit the post and we had a goal disallowed.

"It is frustrating that we didn't get the three points but we certainly did enough to win it. I really like how we finished and I have just told the players to get their heads up because they gave everything. Unfortunately we couldn't quite turn it into the three points but certainly from a performance there were a lot of positives."