Keith Wyness stunned by Birmingham City’s ‘£2bn’ stadium plan
Birmingham City’s major plans to build a new 62,000 capacity seater stadium to replace St Andrew’s could face complications.
That is according to ex-Aberdeen and Everton and Aston Villa chief executive Keith Wyness, who speaking exclusively to Football Insider believes the Midlands club may run into problems over the project.
Birmingham’s owners have ambitious plans to take the club to the Premier League, after bouncing back to the Championship at the first time of asking last season.
The stadium design included chimneys reflect a brickworks that once sat on the site, with plans also for housing and hotels to be built on the 48-acre land that the club have purchased.
Birmingham going down a ‘tortuous route’
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – is sceptical about the plans as he raises concerns over financial backing from the local council and government.
Wyness has previously slammed Tom Wagner’s project for Birmingham, with the American owner wanting to build a tunnel in the city.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness is not sure the project will become a reality for the club.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “It was quite shocking to see the first impression. I watched the launch live.
“Look, there’s no doubt it is not a cookie-cutter type stadium in terms of the look from the outside. It will become globally recognized if it is built to that level. Inside, it’s copied quite a few of the facts from the Everton Hill Dickinson Stadium in terms of the steepness of the seats, et cetera.
“So it’s almost replicated that inside but certainly give them full credit for something unique on the outside. It seems very marmite. I think a lot of fans don’t like it. A lot of fans love it.
“But nevertheless, it makes a statement. Now, the big question is, the whole complex is a big amount of money. We’re talking over two billion.
“And will a council that was basically declared bankrupt be able to support or central government as well? The road structure, the road improvements, the transport infrastructure, et cetera, that needs to be done to support this. I’ve been through this before and it’s a very tortuous route to go down.
“And while it’s a big ambition, I just wonder if it really is just, you know, bitten off just too much right now. The design, and I’ve also been through the fact of releasing artists’ impressions with the spotlights in the sky and the whole thing. I know how that works and it doesn’t always come to reality.”
Birmingham target Premier League promotion
Wagner wants Birmingham to achieve a top-two finish in the Championship this season, which would secure automatic promotion to the Premier League.
The financial benefits of promotion to the top-flight would be huge for the club in aid of their stadium plans.
Birmingham are currently 10th in the Championship table, and six points off Stoke, who currently occupy second spot.
Leaders Coventry are 16 points above Blues, meaning winning the title looks very unlikely.