For the most part, fans of Birmingham City will have pleasant memories of the 2008–09 campaign.The Blues’ goal going into the season was to recover from their previous season’s Premier League relegation.They achieved this almost flawlessly, finishing in second place and receiving an instant promotion back to the English football premier league.The Blues would go on to enjoy two more straight seasons in the Premier League as a result of that elevation, winning the renowned League Cup during that time.However, not all of Birmingham City’s choices made during that 2008–09 Championship promotion campaign turned out to be the best ones.
An expensive signing in January
Birmingham brought in a number of players during the January 2009 transfer window, presumably in an effort to advance in the fight for promotion.Carlo Costly was one of the players that St Andrew’s brought in during that winter transfer window. The striker came from GKS Belchatow in Poland.Birmingham paid a reported £500,000 loan fee to acquire Costly’s services for the summer of 2009, with the option to buy, under a loan agreement that lasted until that summer.
After amassing what was, to be honest, a lackluster record with his parent club—he had scored just 16 goals in 71 league games—the Honduran moved to Birmingham.
A striker with such a record is hardly credible, indicating that Birmingham took a gamble with this move, which is exactly how things worked out.
Birmingham saw little return on its investment in strikers.
Costly never really got going with the Blues after completing his move to the Midlands.
The Honduran international was only able to make eight appearances for Birmingham throughout his tenure there.
Only three of the eight appearances were as a starter, and in none of those games did Costly play the whole ninety minutes.
Carlo Costly Birmingham City – stats from Transfermarkt
Opposition
Result
Minutes Played
Goals
Assists
Burnley
Drew 1-1
27
0
0
Nottingham Forest
Won 2-0
14
0
0
Coventry City
Lost 1-0
19
0
0
Crystal Palace
Drew 0-0
59
0
0
Sheffield United
Lost 2-1
45
0
0
Bristol City
Won 1-0
11
0
0
Southampton
Won 1-0
72
0
0
Barnsley
Drew 1-1
74
0
0
The striker didn’t have much of an impact in the little time he was on the field however, failing to score or assist a team that was vying for promotion.After playing in a string of games in February and March of 2009, Costly did not appear in any of Birmingham’s final eight games of that specific season, as the Blues successfully completed their run to reclaim their Premier League spot.This statement may also serve as a scathing indictment of how people at St Andrew’s perceived his possible use as a tool at the time.It is difficult to believe that Costly’s efforts contributed in any way to Birmingham’s 2008–09 promotion success, considering the striker’s track record.In light of this, it was not shocking to learn that the team decided against signing the striker to a long-term contract in the summer of 2009.
After Birmingham City’s 1-0 home loss to Cardiff City on Wednesday night, their relegation worries grew.
Even yet, they still lost money on this signing because they had to pay a borrowing fee for Costly’s temporary signing, money that could have been better spent elsewhere.
In light of this, it appears that Birmingham City’s specific transfer deal was identical in name to what it ultimately turned out to be.
