Jeremy Dale: Birmingham City appoint interim CEO permanently

Dale said it was “an honour” to become the permanent CEO, adding the opportunity the role presented working with the club’s owners was “huge”.

Blues chairman and co-owner Tom Wagner said, external the club had made “significant progress” under Dale and were “excited for his continued leadership as we maintain our focus on executing our long-term strategy and building a strong foundation for the future”.

Wagner, whose colleagues on the Blues board include NFL legend Tom Brady as a minority owner, is targeting a return to the Premier League following the club’s record-breaking promotion from League One last season.

The big-spending owners are also keen to build a new 62,000-seater stadium to replace their current home St Andrew’s as part of a planned 125-acre ‘Sports Quarter’ development to the east of the city.

Those plans were recently boosted by the government’s decision to invest £2.4bn in a local transport link to the proposed site.