A consortium led by former footballer Maxi Lopez have completed the takeover of Championship side Birmingham City, according to an update from talkSPORT.

The Argentine has been in the race for some time - but looked set to be pipped to the post by former Watford chairman Laurence Bassini earlier this summer, being given a period of exclusivity to get the deal done but being unable to get an agreement over the line.

This has allowed Lopez to swoop in and finalise a deal for the club despite interest from other parties aside from Bassini, with the 38-year-old and businessman Paul Richardson winning the race to take co-ownership of the club.

This takeover deal was revealed by the Mirror yesterday, with a £36.6m deal being agreed between the new consortium and Birmingham Sport Holdings Limited (BSHL), with the latter being extremely unpopular in some sections of the fanbase.

The former are set to pay the amount over a two-year period, potentially allowing the new owners to invest a considerable amount of money in the playing squad between now and the end of the window with more additions needed at St Andrew's.

Looking less at the future and more at the present though, Lopez took to Twitter this morning to post a video of him on the St Andrew's pitch, accompanied by a simple two-word message saying: "En Casa" (English translation: "At home").

The Verdict:

This breakthrough has been much-needed in the West Midlands - because uncertainty was continuing to cause disruption and with the new season coming up - a takeover solution was needed one way or another.

Having Lopez and Richardson at the helm combines footballing knowledge with business nous, the perfect combination that probably made them much better candidates than Bassini.

It also allows those that have been against BSHL to relax and focus their energy on the team once again - and those supporters will be glad to do just that with football looking set to become a real escape from daily life once again.

A takeover less than two weeks before the start of the season isn't exactly ideal considering the seismic change that comes with a change in ownership - but they will now be hoping to have a much more positive 2022/23 campaign with fresh voices at the club.

It does feel as though change was needed other than in the managerial department though - and they have certainly got that in the ownership department. Whether it can be the start of a more positive spell for the second-tier side remains to be seen.