Birmingham City

Follow The £2.2m Birmingham City transfer that is one of the club’s worst: View

Published

12 months ago

November 27, 2023

faxsoccer

Kerim Frei will undoubtedly go down as one of the most disappointing Birmingham City transfers.

The £2.2m Birmingham City transfer that is one of the club's worst: View | OneFootball

HIGHLIGHTS

Gianfranco Zola’s tenure as manager at Birmingham City was disappointing, winning only two games out of 24 before resigning.
Kerim Frei, one of Zola’s marquee signings, failed to deliver at Birmingham despite high expectations.
Frei started only three Championship fixtures in his six-month spell at the club and returned to Turkey to play for Manisa FK.

December 2016 marked the beginning of the Gianfranco Zola era at Birmingham City, and within a month of joining the club, he had a January transfer window to make some improvements to the squad he had inherited.

Appointing a name as big as Zola created plenty of excitement at the football club, but his tenure at St Andrews was rather disappointing as he won just two of his 24 games with the club before resigning in the April.

One of his marquee signings in the January transfer window was Turkey international, Kerim Frei. However, like Zola, Frei didn’t deliver, despite joining the club with high expectations placed on him.

The tricky winger was an exciting signing at the time, but now he will be one to forget.

Kerim Frei before Birmingham

Frei had Premier League and Europa League football on his CV when joining Birmingham, as he began his professional career with Fulham, where he made 33 senior appearances as a youngster. He made his first start as a 17-year-old in a Europa League qualifier, and appeared to be one of Fulham’s most promising youngsters.

After struggling to get into the starting eleven at Craven Cottage, Frei’s spell with Fulham came to an end as he moved to Turkey to sign for Besiktas in 2013. The winger spent three and a half seasons with the Turkish side, scoring 13 goals and assisting six. He had also earned five caps for Turkey at senior level, grabbing an assist on his debut in 2012.

Frei typically played on the left-wing and enjoyed cutting in on his favored right foot, which is something that Birmingham clearly searched for midway through the 2016/17 Championship campaign.

How did Kerim Frei get on at Birmingham?

The winger had a rather forgettable spell at Birmingham and, in hindsight, the £2.2m fee spent on the player seems a waste. Frei started just three Championship fixtures in the half a season he spent at the club, and despite Gianfranco Zola struggling to pick up some form with his side, he continued to leave the winger out of the starting eleven.

The one thing that Birmingham fans may remember Frei for is his goal against Rotherham in the latter stages of the season, which earned him the goal of the season award. He stood over a free-kick from 25-yards out before finding the top left corner with a superb strike.

After just six months at St Andrews, Frei returned to Turkey to sign for Istanbul Basaksehir, putting an end to an extremely underwhelming period in the West Midlands. Birmingham finished 19th that season, just two points above the drop zone in a campaign to forget.

Where is Kerim Frei now?

30-year-old Frei is now playing his football in Turkey’s second division for Manisa FK. He continues to appear mostly on the left wing but rarely finds his name on the score-sheet.

Spending over £2m on the player would certainly have been a regret for Gianfranco Zola and Birmingham City, and it was made evident when Frei departed just six months into his spell.