After 11 games in the Championship, it’s reasonable to conclude that Birmingham City’s summer signings, on top of what they already had from last season, are having the desired impact.

Given the spending on the Blues squad, a tenth-place result in 2025-26 in their first season back in the second division was considered as very unimpressive, especially as Wrexham had overcome them despite finishing a slot behind them in League. One from the prior year.

Early season form, however, suggests that 2026-27 might be a much stronger year for the Midlands team, which has had a strong start to the season – even if they did not complete all of their planned aims during the summer.

Joe Gelhardt rebuffed Birmingham City transfer in the summer.

Seven new faces arrived at St. Andrew’s over the summer, two of whom appeared last season in the form of Jhon Solis and James Beadle.

The one potential game changer who was overlooked was Joe Gelhardt, who won promotion to the Premier League on loan at Hull City in 2025-26.

The dynamic attacking midfielder was back at Leeds United prior to the start of the current season, although he was close to joining Chris Davies’ side in mid-August, just before the new season began.

Despite having other transfer priorities, Hull chose to go ahead and sign Gelhardt, who landed at the MKM Stadium for an initial sum of roughly £4.5 million plus add-ons, according to local Tigers sources.

Joe Gelhardt explains why he turned down Birmingham City.

There is no doubt that Gelhardt would have offered Davies a significant boost in the final third for his team, but the trade did not go through, despite being so close.

Gelhardt had to recover from an ankle injury before making his Premier League debut for City against Newcastle United last month, and he already scored his first goal of the season in the next game against Everton.

The 24-year-old has previously stated that he was close to joining Birmingham over the summer, and he has subsequently made a new claim about the thwarted transfer – one that paints the club in a very flattering light.

“I thought I was gonna come back here, but then as the off-season went on, I sort of got my head around it a little bit that maybe it might not happen,” Gelhardt said to HullLive.

“Birmingham showed attention and performed admirably throughout.

“They were very understanding when I did nearly join, and Hull came when they rang, so they were very understanding, and they were top class as I say all the way through it, so credit to them.”

Joe Gelhardt’s snub has given Patrick Roberts and Jay Stansfield new leases on life at Birmingham City

In the end, Birmingham did not get a like-for-like Gelhardt replacement through the door, which would have been a creative, left-footed number 10 or winger who can cut inside from the right on his stronger foot.

Instead, Liam Millar was bought – ironically from Hull – to provide competition for Demarai Grey on the left flank, and the Canadian has done quite well since.

Gelhardt’s decision not to join the Blues, however, has created an opportunity for two individuals in particular to emerge. He would have most likely come in to play in the number 10 position, which has since been given to Jay Stansfield, who is shining by playing off August Priske, and that relationship is now really prospering.

And, after being linked with a move away from the club over the summer, Patrick Roberts is now a crucial player under Davies, displacing Carlos Vicente from the squad, with the Spaniard being a more direct, right-footed winger than the ex-Sunderland man, who cuts inside.

If Stansfield and Roberts continue to perform well until the end of the season, they may not be too disappointed that they did not sign Gelhardt.