Birmingham City have completed the signing of centre-back Jonathan Panzo from Rio Ave, bringing the England and Cote d’Ivoire defender back to English football in a permanent deal. The move is registered as a standard transfer, with the switch from the Liga Portugal side to the Championship club confirmed as effective from 2026-02-02. Contract details beyond the transfer’s completion are not disclosed in the available data.
Panzo joins Birmingham with a current market value of €1.50m, according to the latest figures, though the precise transfer fee remains undisclosed. The 25-year-old, who most recently wore the number 4 shirt at Rio Ave, leaves Portugal after a spell in which his form had seen his valuation rise again following several seasons of loans and moves across Europe.
The defender arrives with significant experience for his age. Born in London and standing 1.88m tall, Panzo has developed as a left-footed centre-back capable of anchoring a back line. Before his time at Rio Ave, he was contracted to Nottingham Forest, who signed him from Dijon FCO after an earlier stint with AS Monaco’s U21s. His career has already taken him through multiple leagues: Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 in France with Dijon, the Belgian top flight with Cercle Brugge, and the English system with Coventry City, Cardiff City and Standard Liège via Forest’s loan network, before his loan and subsequent permanent stay in Portugal with Rio Ave.
His path to Birmingham has been shaped by a series of temporary moves. Forest loaned him to Coventry City, Cardiff City and Standard Liège, with each spell ending in a return to the City Ground before another switch. In 2024 he moved on loan from Forest to Rio Ave, returned briefly to the English club at the end of that loan, and then rejoined Rio Ave on a standard deal starting 2025-07-01. From there, Birmingham have now stepped in to secure him on a full transfer.
Panzo’s club history underlines a profile of a defender accustomed to adapting to different styles and intensities: from youth development at Chelsea’s academy, through Monaco’s setup and into senior football in France, Belgium, Portugal and England. His experience in the Championship with Coventry City and Cardiff City is particularly relevant for Birmingham, who add a player already familiar with the physical and tactical demands of the division.
At international level, Panzo is listed with dual nationality – England and Cote d’Ivoire – though the provided data does not record any senior national-team caps. His dual background, coupled with his European education in Monaco and Dijon, has long marked him out as a modern, mobile central defender with potential appeal to clubs looking for technical ability as well as height and left-footed balance in the back line.
For Rio Ave, the move represents the loss of a defender whose market value had climbed back to €1.50m by late 2025 after stabilising at €1.20m for much of his first season in Portugal. For Birmingham, it is an opportunity to harness that revived stock and integrate a defender entering what should be his prime years. With his contract at Birmingham now underway from 2026-02-02, the focus turns to how quickly he can impose himself in the Championship and whether this latest move can provide the stability that has eluded him across a nomadic early career.
