Championship side Birmingham City are set to sign Brighton and Hove Albion centre-back Eiran Cashin on a season-long loan, according to Mike McGrath.
The former Derby County centre-back moved to the south coast in January for a fee of around £10 million.
Cashin has since made two Premier League appearances.
Birmingham City Spending Big
After their record-breaking League One campaign last season, it’s no secret that the Blues have spent big in this window, and could be aiming for back-to-back promotions.
Last season, even in League One, the side spent big, splashing the cash on the likes of Jay Stansfield, Christoph Klarer, and Willum Thor Willumsson, who hold the record for the most expensive transfers in the third tier of all time.
Seven players have come through the doors at St. Andrews this window, including the likes of Demari Gray, Kyogo Furuhashi, and Tommy Doyle, who are all excellent players at the second-tier level.
Owned by Tom Wagner, with American football star Tom Brady also owning a small share in the club, it’s fair to say the investment in this squad is coming to light like last season, with Ireland U21 international Cashin the next name on the shopping list in the Midlands.
Although the deal is thought to be a season-long loan, you’d expect Birmingham to be paying a decent chunk of his top-flight wages.
Eiran Cashin’s EFL Experience
Coming through the ranks at Derby at a young age, by the time the centre-back left the club, he had made just six short of 150 appearances for the senior team at Pride Park.
These 144 games played came in both the second and third tiers, with the 24-year-old helping his boyhood side win promotion to the Championship with Derby in the 2023/24 season. He made 21 appearances in half a season last season before leaving the club in the winter transfer window.
With so much experience at a young age, Cashin will no doubt gain more Championship experience whilst on loan with the Blues.
Writer’s View
Birmingham certainly aren’t playing around this window, with seven players already through the door and Cashin looking like the eighth. With the players they have brought in, the side aren’t just wanting to survive in the league and become an established side, like most clubs who win promotion from League One do, they clearly are aiming for back-to-back promotions.
This season’s Championship promotion race could be one of the most competitive yet, with strong teams relegated from the Premier League, ambitious clubs promoted from League One, and established sides in the division making significant investments.
