Arsenal
Demarai Grey has returned to Birmingham Metropolis on a three-year contract, 9 years after he final performed for his boyhood membership.
Grey joins the Blues on a free switch after leaving Al Ettifaq, with the Saudi Professional League facet retaining a sell-on clause of 20 per cent.
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The transfer marks an emotional homecoming for the Birmingham-born winger, who started his profession with the membership.
He rose via their youth ranks to make his debut as a 17-year-old in 2013, and went on to function 78 occasions for the Second Metropolis facet, earlier than becoming a member of Leicester in January 2016, for an estimated £3.7million.
Simply 4 months after signing, Grey turned a part of the legendary Foxes facet that overcame 5000/1 odds to win their maiden Premier League title.
He went on to register 13 objectives and 14 assists from 169 appearances throughout all competitions for Leicester earlier than he joined Bayer Leverkusen in January 2021.
His time in Germany would in the end final simply six months, with Grey then spending two seasons at Everton earlier than becoming a member of Al Ettifaq in September 2023.
However having now determined to return to his first membership, the 28-year-old will kind a part of a Birmingham facet bidding to re-establish themselves within the Championship after profitable promotion in Could.
Chatting with the Blues web site after making the transfer official, Grey mentioned: “To affix now feels proper.
“To be again right here now means quite a bit and having tasted success a bit all through my profession, I’m hungry and I actually need to do it right here with Birmingham and attempt to assist the staff get again to the place we belong.
“It’s one thing I’ve needed for a very long time. Seeing some previous faces is all the time good, to be again across the stadium introduced again loads of emotions and I can’t wait to get going now, get again in entrance of the followers and see the place this season can take us.
“I used to be on the membership as much as 19 years of age and spent nearly all of my profession related to Birmingham, so coming again to Blues means one thing and its completely different to only signing for one more membership.
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“For me to have the chance to return again house, be round my household, watch my son develop up, him having the ability to watch me play video games, on the membership I began at, is smart.
“Particularly on the level of my profession now, it’s excellent. I’m completely happy, I’m excited, and I need to win issues and achieve success right here in entrance of my household.
“I really feel good bodily, I really feel match, and I do know my capabilities. That’s one factor I’m actually completely happy about, that I’ve come again after I can contribute and provides my finest and truly give Birmingham my finest years.”
Grey’s homecoming comes lower than two years after he left English soccer to hitch Al Ettifaq in September 2023.
The transfer noticed him hyperlink up with Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard, who was appointed as supervisor of the Saudi outfit shortly earlier than his arrival.
Nonetheless, Grey struggled to make his mark in Saudi Arabia and has simply 4 objectives and 5 assists in 50 appearances for the membership.
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The stint additionally didn’t go to plan for Gerrard, as he departed Al Ettifaq by mutual consent in January.
Gerrard was among the many world’s highest-paid managers and walked away from a mammoth £15million-a-year contract having signed an extension final January.
He departed having received simply 19 of his 55 matches in cost.
As for Grey, a transfer again to Birmingham will reunite him with Blues boss Chris Davies.
Davies labored as an assistant to Brendan Rodgers throughout the Northern Irishman’s stint at Leicester, which overlapped with Grey’s time on the membership as a participant.
The 40-year-old will lead the Blues within the Championship as they give the impression of being to keep up the momentum generated by their record-breaking season.
Birmingham turned the primary staff to get promoted from League One with six video games remaining.
In addition they completed the 2024/25 marketing campaign with 111 factors, the highest-ever tally in a single EFL season.
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