Latest Birmingham City news from BirminghamLive includes John Eustace on Tom Wagner’s impending takeover

John Eustace is eagerly anticipating a formal meeting with prospective new Birmingham City owner Tom Wagner after “brief conversations” in the last two months.

It was announced on May 8 that Wagner and American investment firm Knighthead had agreed to purchase a 45.64 percent stake in Blues. The deal will be finalised on July 13 with a vote amongst shareholders after the circular was dispatched to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last week.

Wagner will be able to implement his own ideas and plans after taking control of the club next week. At that point, Eustace hopes to sit down with the American and discuss his vision for Blues.

“I’ve had brief conversations,” said Eustace. “We haven’t really been able to sit down and nail things out. There’s a lot going on at the football club at the moment, I would like to think they are trusting me to get on with my side of it and when the time is right I’m sure we’ll sit down and bang out the plan for the future.”

 

READ: Ethan Laird opens up on Birmingham City transfer, ‘bizarre’ loan & why he had to quit Man Utd

Blues secured their best Championship finish in seven years under Eustace last term after struggling to keep their heads above water for much of the last decade. Progression on the field is expected next season, but Eustace is wary of moving too quickly.

Discussing the heightened expectations, Eustace said: “The most important thing is that we are competitive and we are building a squad for the future. We have started to do that.

“I get the expectation of getting into the Premier League and getting into the top six, of course as a group we will be having a good go and trying to win as many games as we can, but the most important thing is that we build and build properly. I’m sure with all the good people coming into the football club now, they will understand that and we can do that together.”

 

Blues have already made five summer signings, with Tyler Roberts, Koji Miyoshi and Ethan Laird arriving, and Kevin Long and Krystian Bielik returning. Blues’ rapid recruitment drive, which has been led by technical director Craig Gardner, has been helped by the impending takeover.

“Craig and Frank (McParland) are speaking to people every day,” Eustace added. “They see the news, they can see the training ground, they can see the players that are coming in. It’s a little bit easier, but they have still got to believe in the process and the project.