Birmingham City Manager Chris Davies Outlines Club Strategy After Knighthead Discussions
Birmingham City manager Chris Davies has provided a detailed update on the club's current situation and future plans, revealing ongoing communication with owners Knighthead during the international break. Speaking at his press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Davies addressed key topics including transfer strategy, squad continuity, and the team's objectives for the remainder of the Championship season.
Regular Communication with Knighthead Ownership
Davies confirmed that he maintains regular dialogue with the club's American-based ownership group, despite not currently speaking directly with chairman Tom Wagner. "I speak to the ownership regularly, we have calls and meetings about how the team's doing, how the team's playing, the progress of the team, everything around the work I do and the direction of the club," Davies stated.
The manager emphasized that these discussions have continued throughout the international break and will persist in the coming weeks. While Birmingham City face a mid-table finish after their play-off hopes evaporated despite significant investment - including 18 signings this season and a further £15 million spent in January - Davies described the behind-the-scenes operations as "business as usual."
Summer Transfer Window Planning Already Underway
Perhaps most significantly, Davies revealed that planning for the summer transfer window has already begun in earnest. "We've already discussed that in the last couple of weeks, assessing players we've got, ones that will leave, ones that we'd like to bring in," he explained.
The manager outlined what he described as a more sustainable approach compared to previous transfer windows. "The good news for the club is that we don't have this huge turnover in the summer like it was 20-odd players in and out in the first season, last season 12 in and out," Davies noted. "We're going to get to a stage, hopefully in the summer, where it's six in and six out. It's a lot more sustainable in terms of continuity and actually having something to build."
Squad Changes and Loan Decisions
Davies provided specific insight into potential squad changes, confirming that Brighton loanees James Beadle and Ibrahim Osman will return to their parent club. The manager indicated there appears to be little appetite to make Tommy Doyle's loan from Wolves permanent, while the club will evaluate the financial aspects of potentially making Colombian midfielder Jhon Solis a permanent addition from Girona.
"We've some players that because of the loan situation we think won't be here next year," Davies said. "There are players that have been here for a while and we know what we can expect from those players. There are new ones that need to make their stamp. There are ones that really need to prove they still can be here."
Focus on Final Games and Season Objectives
With seven games remaining in the Championship season, Davies emphasized his commitment to ensuring strong performances until the final whistle against Portsmouth. The manager acknowledged that a poor run of results wouldn't reflect well when Knighthead conducts their final season review in May.
Davies identified a realistic target for Birmingham City: "It looks like we're out of reach of the play-offs, it looks like we're still in with a chance of finishing as high as the club's finished in 14 years in terms of finishing inside the top-10." Achieving 11 points from the remaining fixtures would give Blues their best Championship points haul since finishing fourth under Chris Hughton in 2012.
The manager outlined his priorities for the season's conclusion: "More than that I want to make sure our performances are really good. There's been times where we've scrapped our way through games and been nowhere near our best. I want to focus on us playing our game, playing it well and deserving to win games."
Davies concluded by emphasizing the importance of finishing strongly: "We need to finish as high as we can, what number that looks like I don't know, and put in some performances we can be proud of." This approach will be crucial as Birmingham City look to build a foundation for future success under Knighthead's ownership.
