Dael Fry’s signing represents something of a coup, prising him from hometown club Middlesbrough.
The defender spent 21 years on Teesside all told after graduating through the Academy, amassing 296 senior appearances.
There was significant interest Fry, who captained Boro to last season’s Championship play-off final.
But Fry’s capture, on a three-year contract, also represents a telling shift in approach by Blues and Chris Davies.
He has extensive Championship know-how and size, standing at 6ft 4in.
Fry, 28, follows Jhon Solis into St. Andrew’s as Blues second summer transfer window signing.
The Colombian got a taster of the league on loan from Girona last season and whilst obviously he hasn’t got a wealth of experience of the game over here, he is more knowing of what’s what and possesses an imposing frame too, a wide 6ft 2in.
Davies acknowledged last season that Blues needed more height and physicality. Plus battle-hardened players used to the demands of the Championship.
Coming off the back of the January window, when 6ft 3in striker August Priske was added, as well as the hard-running and direct winger Carlos Vicente, you can see just how the Blues squad is taking shape for 2026/27.
Certainly, at the back Blues have totemic figures Christoph Klarer, Phil Neumann and now Fry to choose from, with another experienced head in Jack Robinson making up the options. That’s a strong and imposing group of centre-halves.
With Solis, whose loan was made permanent for around £6 million, in front of the defence and then Priske further up – and doubtless more incomings, too – there’s likely to be a sturdier, more powerful and dynamic spine to the side.
Davies has also gone on record saying he would love wildcard winger Ibrahim Osman to return after the impact he made on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion. Osman has blistering pace – another facet Davies wanted to add to the mix in that January window to alter Blues style.
Bigger, stronger, more athletic and prepared to mix play up by going direct. And with players who know the league, or have now gained valuable knowledge of it, as did the likes of Klarer, Neumann, Kai Wagner, Alex Cochrane, Solis, Vicente, Paik Seung-ho, Tomoki Iwata, Kyogo Furuhashi, Marvin Ducksch, Priske et al.
Whilst two of that number may move on, you get the gist of the base template for Blues this coming campaign.
Fry is very good in the air as he is on the ball and, interestingly, has tended to play most of the time on the left of defence for Boro.
With Blues seeking to boost their prowess at corners and free-kicks as well – Rangers’ Scott Fry (no relation) remains heavily linked with the vacant set piece coach role – latest signing Fry’s aerial strength adds to that.
