The summer transfer window has slammed shut and Birmingham City have come out of it having spent a lot of money on quality all across the pitch.
Chris Davies was given a transfer war chest by Knighthead Capital Management, and it’s safe to say he has been more than backed in the window. The most high profile signing is Jay Stansfield who has joined for an initial £15m with the deal rising to £20m should add-ons be met.
Stansfield’s re-arrival at St Andrew’s is by the far the most expensive transfer in the history of League One and it will take some beating to eclipse that. The expectation is for Blues to win the league, and if they can do that then the squad they’ve assembled for this season could also compete in the Championship.It’s been a good start to the season so far, rival supporters warned Birmingham City of the reality check that they would face, but so far they’ve yet to receive that. Their draw against Reading is the only time they haven’t won in the league so far. They have had successes on their travels at Leyton Orient and Wycombe Wanderers, whilst they won in dramatic fashion at home against Wigan Athletic at the weekend.
All eyes will be on how Birmingham City will perform given the investment in to their playing squad, but there are other teams in the division who have also strengthened their sides. Stockport County and Wrexham came up from League Two and they’ve recruited well with the current league leaders signing Oliver Norwood who played 27 times for Sheffield United in the Premier League last season.
Every club has a different way of doing their transfer business, and from now until at least January, it will be interesting to see how things work out. In the mean time, thanks to the figures provided by TransferMarkt, we’re going to take a look at the most valuable squads in League One. It’s obvious that Birmingham City are top, but just how close are the rest of the other teams?League One squad values
Birmingham City: TransferMarkt Value: £35.0m. Most valuable player: Jay Stansfield at £2.94m.Huddersfield Town: TransferMarkt Value: £20.5m. Most valuable player: Michal Helik £1.8m
Barnsley: TransferMarkt Value: £11.7m. Most valuable player: Gabriel Slonina £3.3m
Wigan Athletic: TransferMarkt Value: £11.4m. Most valuable player: Calvin Ramsay £3.3m
Bolton Wanderers: TransferMarkt Value: £10.4m. Most valuable player: Aaron Collins £1.1m.
Charlton Athletic: TransferMarkt Value: £9.8m. Most valuable player: Allan Campbell £1.6m
Stockport County: TransferMarkt Value: £9.7m. Most valuable player: Lewis Fiorini £1.0m
Wrexham: TransferMarkt Value: £8.9m. Most valuable player: Arthur Okonkwo £1.5m
Northampton Town: TransferMarkt Value: £8.4m. Most valuable player: Tyler Roberts £2.3m
Blackpool: TransferMarkt Value: £8.4m. Most valuable player: Elliot Embleton £757k
Rotherham United: TransferMarkt Value: £8.3m. Most valuable player: Christ Tiehi £841k
Peterborough United: TransferMarkt Value: £8.2m. Most valuable player: Kwame Poku £1.2m
Bristol Rovers: TransferMarkt Value: £8.0m. Most valuable player: Lino Sousa £1.6mLeyton Orient: TransferMarkt Value: £7.4m. Most valuable player: Jamie Donley £1.2m
Reading: TransferMarkt Value: £7.0m. Most valuable player: Chem Campbell £756k
Wycombe Wanderers: TransferMarkt Value: £6.4m. Most valuable player: Aaron Morley £756k
Lincoln City: TransferMarkt Value: £6.3m. Most valuable player: Ethan Erhahon £841k
Stevenage: TransferMarkt Value: £5.1m. Most valuable player: Charlie Goode £420k
Mansfield Town: TransferMarkt Value: £4.9m. Most valuable player: Keanu Baccus £757k
Crawley Town: TransferMarkt Value: £4.1m.
Most valuable player: Josh Flint £378k