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“Such amount is CRAZY and UNREAL”- Don Goodman Breaks Silence on Wrexham and Birmingham City’s Wild Wage Moves
Wrexham and Birmingham City Make Statement with Big-Money Contract Offers Ahead of Championship Return
Reports suggest that Wrexham AFC are ready to offer Fulham captain Tom Cairney an eye-catching £50,000-a-week deal, while fellow promoted side Birmingham City have tabled a £30,000-a-week offer for Peterborough winger Kwame Poku—figures that are turning heads across the Championship.
Both clubs are clearly wasting no time in preparing for life in the second tier. Wrexham’s pursuit of Cairney, a 34-year-old midfielder with three Championship promotions to his name, indicates the level of experience and quality they’re targeting.
After a decade at Fulham, Cairney’s contract expires this summer. If he joins Wrexham, he would become the club’s highest-paid player ever.
Meanwhile, as revealed by Football League World, Birmingham’s £30,000-a-week offer for Poku shows their intent to invest heavily to stay competitive in the Championship following their League One title win.
Don Goodman Reacts to Wrexham and Birmingham’s Ambitious Plans
The financial backing of Wrexham’s Hollywood owners has already transformed the club’s fortunes, while Birmingham’s new ownership under Knighthead Capital Management has shown similar ambition. Wrexham famously lured Paul Mullin from League Two after his Golden Boot season at Cambridge, and Birmingham spent over £15 million last season to bring in Jay Stansfield from Fulham en route to a record-breaking 111-point campaign.
EFL pundit Don Goodman shared his take on the reported wage offers in an interview with FLW.
“If those numbers are accurate—£50,000 a week for Cairney and £30,000 for Poku—then they’ll be among the highest earners in the division,” Goodman said. “That’s quite astonishing, but both players would undoubtedly boost their new teams’ chances next season.”
He added, “The bigger question is whether the clubs can afford to have multiple players on those wages. If not, will it cause tension in the dressing room? It’s impressive spending, but it doesn’t guarantee results.”
To put the figures into perspective, Cairney’s proposed wage would place him among the top earners in the Championship, matching a few elite players and excluding high-profile names like Cardiff’s Aaron Ramsey.
All Eyes on Wrexham and Birmingham Ahead of the Transfer Window
With the summer transfer window opening on July 1st (for ten days, before reopening on the 16th), the rest of the Championship will be closely monitoring Wrexham and Birmingham’s moves. Their aggressive recruitment approach could see them evolve from newly-promoted clubs into serious promotion contenders.
Neither team is entering the league aiming merely to survive. Wrexham are chasing a fourth straight promotion, while Birmingham chairman Tom Wagner has stated they will have the Championship’s highest revenue among clubs without parachute payments. The era of promoted teams simply hoping to avoid relegation may be coming to an end.
Whether this bold strategy translates to success on the pitch remains to be seen—but as Don Goodman said, Wrexham and Birmingham have made their intentions loud and clear.
