1 day ago
3
Jamaican international Demarai Gray said he is ready to achieve further success in his career upon completing a return to his boyhood club Birmingham City in the English Football League (EFL) Championship.
Gray made the switch from Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ettifaq and penned a three-year deal with the club where he made his professional debut.
Gray had developed through Birmingham’s academy before making his first senior appearance for the club, aged 17 back in 2013.
The forward made 78 appearances for the Blues before leaving the club in 2016, joining Leicester City, and was a member of the historic squad which had won the 2015/16 Premier League title.
Nines years after his departure, Gray makes his return to the St Andrew’s Stadium, now back in the familiar blue of Birmingham City.
The forward said he is ready to compete at the club and hunt for further success.
“I was at the club up to 19 years of age and spent the majority of my career associated with Birmingham, so coming back to Blues means something and its different to just signing for another club,” he said in his first interview upon his arrival.
“To join now feels right. To be back here now means a lot and having tasted success a bit throughout my career, I’m hungry and I really want to do it here with Birmingham and try and help the team get back to where we belong.”
The club had earned automatic promotion to England’s second division after finishing atop the League One table last season, amassing a staggering 111 points.
Recently turned 29, Gray believes he is in the best condition to play well for his club, who will be seeking to consolidate their spot in the Championship.
Gray’s signing is just one of the marquee arrivals for Birmingham this season, as they have also captured the signatures of Wolves’ Tommy Doyle and Brighton’s James Beadle on season-long loans.
“I feel good physically, I feel fit, and I know my capabilities. That’s one thing I’m really happy about, that I’ve come back when I can contribute and give my best and actually give Birmingham my best years,” Gray said.
“I think it’s always been an ambitious club but I think seeing the changes and the ownership now and how committed they are, seeing it from the outside is attractive to anyone looking at it.
“I think it creates a buzz and you can see what they have done so far so to have the opportunity to be apart of it, to work with the club and the team, I’m buzzing.”
FAMILY TIES
Gray also explained his family played a major role in his decision to return to his old stomping grounds.
He said the idea of raising his family in the same city where he grew up drew him back to England.
“I was a teenager and now 10 years later, I’m a man. Now I’m a parent. Now I’m a big brother and a lot has changed. Birmingham paved the way for my career.
“For me to have the opportunity to come back home, be around my family, watch my son grow up, him being able to watch me play games, at the club I started at, makes sense,” he said.
“Especially at the point of my career now, it’s perfect. I’m happy, I’m excited, and I want to win things and be successful here in front of my family.”
Gray recently returned from international duty with the Reggae Boyz at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.
Birmingham will open their Championship season on August 9 against Ipswich Town.
English (US) ·