Former Arsenal player sold for £10m suffers disastrous second relegation in three years

Former Arsenal centre-back Krystian Bielik could be playing in League One next season after his Birmingham City side were relegated from the Championship on Saturday.

The Gunners sold Bielik to Derby County for an undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of £10million back in August 2019. He then went on to sign for Birmingham on loan in 2022 after the Rams' relegation to League One, before joining on a permanent deal last summer.

And the 26-year-old was dealt a crushing blow this weekend. Despite a final day 1-0 triumph over Norwich City at St Andrew's, his current side have been demoted to the third tier of English football for the first time since the 1994/95 season.

This marks the end of a catastrophic season for the Midlands outfit. John Eustace, who guided Blackburn Rovers to safety on the final day, was dismissed as head coach in October while the club was in sixth place. The club's billionaire owners pointed to a 'misalignment with the leadership of the club' as the reason for his exit.

Wayne Rooney succeeded Eustace but only managed to hold onto the role for 15 matches before being shown the door after nine losses and a drop to 20th position. Gary Rowett stepped in as interim manager when new boss Tony Mowbray needed medical leave, but he couldn't steer the team clear of the bottom three.

As the afternoon approached, Blackburn, Sheffield Wednesday, and Plymouth Argyle were all vying to avoid the drop, with Birmingham still harbouring hopes of escaping. The Blues were just three points behind Rovers and Wednesday, but crucially, Rowett's side's goal difference meant a win could make all the difference, reports the Mirror.

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Danny Rohl's Sheffield Wednesday took the lead in their match against Sunderland, with Liam Palmer scoring the opener at 29 minutes and Josh Windass doubling the advantage before halftime, giving the Owls a slight cushion.

Meanwhile, Plymouth Argyle's Joe Edwards found the back of the net against Hull City, increasing the pressure on Blackburn Rovers. A goal from Birmingham City would mean that the former Premier League champions would need at least a draw against Leicester City to avoid relegation.

Birmingham's Paik Seung-ho scored the opening goal against Norwich City, causing some anxiety for John Eustace and his squad. However, Blackburn quickly responded, much to the disappointment of the St Andrews crowd.

Sammie Szmodics netted his 26th goal of the season, securing his position as the division's top scorer. He added another goal during injury time.

Birmingham's relegation comes less than a year after Tom Wagner's firm, Shelby Companies Limited, agreed to acquire a 45.64% stake in the club and full ownership of St Andrews Stadium. Wagner, who co-founded Knighthead Capital Management, a company managing around $9 billion (£7.25 billion) in investments, took over from Hong Kong-listed Birmingham Sports Holdings.

Shelby Companies Limited is named after the Birmingham-based TV show Peaky Blinders. The new owners will now have to watch their team compete in the third tier of English football following a tumultuous season.