Having led the team to tenth-place finishes in the previous two seasons, with the team lying just outside the play-off positions, and two days after three new directors had joined the board, manager Gary Rowett and his backroom staff were sacked on 14 December 2016. Later that day, former West Ham United and Watford manager Gianfranco Zola was announced as Rowett's successor. After four months, during which the team won just twice and dropped to 20th place, three points outside the relegation zone with three matches remaining, Zola resigned, to be replaced by Harry Redknapp, initially to the end of the season. Needing to win their final match if Blackburn Rovers and Nottingham Forest both won their final fixture – which they did – Birmingham won 1–0 away to Bristol City to avoid relegation and finish in 19th place.

The club appointed Jeff Vetere as director of football, and Redknapp agreed to stay on as manager for another year. His backroom staff included Kevin Bond as assistant manager, Paul Groves as first-team coach, Kevin Hitchcock as goalkeeping coach, and former Birmingham player Lee Carsley as head professional development coach. Summer signings for 2017–18 included goalkeeper , whose part in Brighton & Hove Albion's promotion to the Premier League earned him selection for the PFA Championship Team of the Year,Barnsley's captain and centre back Marc Roberts, and midfielder Craig Gardner, whose loan from West Bromwich Albion was made permanent. Five attacking midfielders left: Kerim Frei returned to Turkey with Süper Lig runners-up İstanbul Başakşehir,Greg Stewart,Andrew Shinnie and Diego Fabbrini left on season-long loans, and Viv Solomon-Otabor left on loan until January.

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Wikipedia