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Whilst recent weeks at Birmingham City have been focused on making a strong start to their Championship return, this week's PFA Awards served as an evening of celebration for their promotion from League One.

Seven of last season's squad were named in the PFA League One Team of the Year 2025 following their record-breaking 111-point season.

In addition to the team of the season, Tomoki Iwata and Jay Stansfield were shortlisted for the PFA League One Player of the Year, with QPR’s new striker Richard Kone taking home the award.

Birmingham had been building a squad in League One that was capable of competing in the Championship, and they’ve continued to add to it this summer. Their next target looks to be a young Premier League forward, but the Blues are facing competition from one of the sides that got promoted with them.

Birmingham and Wrexham front-runners in race for Koumas

Birmingham City are one of the teams in pole position to sign young Liverpool forward Lewis Koumas. The 19-year-old spent last season playing Championship football whilst on loan at Stoke City and is set to leave the club permanently before the transfer deadline.

This report comes from Liverpool Echo, who have indicated that Koumas has received significant Championship attention this summer, with Norwich City, Preston North End, Sheffield United and Hull City all monitoring the player's situation. However, Birmingham's biggest rivals for this transfer will be Wrexham, who are the other team said to be “leading the chase” for Koumas.

The young striker will cost a pretty penny, as the Reds see Koumas as more developed than Bobby Clark was when he joined RB Salzburg for £10 million last year. Koumas’ family has ties to the Birmingham metropolitan area, as his father, Jason Koumas, played for West Bromwich Albion for the first few years of Lewis’ life.

Why so many teams are interested in Koumas

At 19 years old, Koumas is already attracting a lot of attention. Not only are there the interested Championship parties, but he has also received recognition at the national level, having represented the Welsh National Team on six occasions.

During his season spent in the championship with Stoke, Koumas was one of the top players in a number of attacking metrics. Koumas registered in the top 25% of players for both shots and shots on target, meaning not only does he shoot often, but when he does shoot, it is accurate.

While he did underperform his xG by just over two goals, Koumas is still only a teenager and calmness on the ball and precision with his shots will further develop as he matures.

In addition to his impressive attacking attributes, what's unique about Koumas is his ability to defend from the front. The teenager ranked in the top 15% of wingers for tackles made and the top 20% of wingers for possession won in the final third of the pitch. His ability to win the ball high up the pitch can often catch the opposition by surprise, leading to important attacking opportunities.

Based on his current skill set, it wouldn’t be surprising if Liverpool asked for a similar figure to what they did for Clark, but given his age and potential future development, he could be a worthwhile transfer in the long term.