Yahoo News Managing Birmingham City: Chris Davies has lengthy to-do list before pre-season starts
Chris Davies is under no illusions about the scale of the job at Birmingham City. Davies has been getting his feet under the table in the past two weeks and putting plans in place for what will be a hectic summer.
The new incumbent of the St Andrew’s hotseat must overhaul the playing staff and build a squad capable of winning promotion from League One at the first attempt. Make no bones about it, that is the aim for Blues next season.
Davies is being assisted by Ben Petty, who joined from Leicester City earlier this week, and Ryan Allsop checked in on Tuesday to become the club's first signing of the summer. The signing of Allsop, a ball-playing goalkeeper, gives us another indication that Blues are preparing to become a possession-based force.
Blues have already lost 10 members of their squad from last season, including influential players Ivan Sunjic, Cody Drameh and Jay Stansfield. They will all need to be replaced before we factor in the players Blues could lose during the summer. It goes without saying that some of Blues' better players, particularly those with international caps, won't be enamoured by the prospect of third tier football.
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Clarity needed from key players
There is strong interest in Jordan James. The Wales international has been coveted by Europa League winners Atalanta for 12 months and Blues could cash in this summer. The fee for James, which is likely to be in excess of £5million, will help Blues rebuild their team. James might not be the only midfielder departing Blues this summer.
The futures of Krystian Bielik and Paik Seung-ho have to be decided too. Both are under contract until 2026 so Blues have decisions to make. One solution would be to agree to a season-long loan with the idea that they return once Blues are in the Championship. Obviously a permanent solution would need to be found if Blues don’t win promotion at the first attempt.
Koji Miyoshi and Juninho Bacuna are two more players with uncertain futures. Davies will no doubt be trying to discover whether they are still invested in the project after positive individual campaigns last term.
Ringfence the must keeps
There isn't much point standing in the way of a player who doesn't want to stay, but there could also be some that Davies isn't convinced will fit his style of play. He might have identified some of them before the players return for pre-season on July 1.
Different managers value different skills. Tony Mowbray and Mark Venus weren't taken by Lee Buchanan, for instance, but the left-back was a mainstay under John Eustace and Gary Rowett. Buchanan would be a must keep for many this summer, but Davies will decide who fits and who doesn't.
Wipe the slate clean
A new manager usually means a reprieve for players. The likes of Dion Sanderson and Siriki Dembele will welcome the chance to impress a new boss.
Dembele, especially, endured a torrid end to last season. He lost his place under Mowbray and Venus before almost being disregarded by Rowett. Dembele needs to shake off some of the comments that were made about him by managers last term because there is no doubt that he has the talent to excel for the club.
Add some more
At least one new goalkeeper will be needed if John Ruddy doesn't commit to another season at St Andrew's and Joe Wildsmith is available for free after leaving Derby County. The 28-year-old won the Golden Glove in League One last season and would provide strong competition to Allsop.
And what a statement of intent it would be if Blues could poach a key player from an established Championship club? Preston North End captain Alan Browne is out of contract this summer.
Their manager Ryan Lowe said: “What I will say is that Browney has been offered a contract that, in the club’s history, is the best you can offer anyone. I can say that on record. We have to respect Alan’s decision, whatever that may be.”
Upon appointing Davies, chief executive Garry Cook gave him the green light to build 'a Championship ready squad for League One'. The signing of Allsop suggests Blues are trying to shop in that market. You would hope Blues could seal one or two more signings before pre-season commences.
Delve into the database
Former Leicester City player Marc Albrighton has detailed the extraordinary coaching database Davies has at his disposal. The 39-year-old has kept every session he has coached throughout his professional career, dating back to his Swansea City days, and stored them away on his computer.
Davies will obviously find his catalogue of sessions handy to fall back on when preparing Blues' pre-season programme. The first week will most probably be fitness-based before Davies starts coaching tactics and patterns of play in the lead up to Blues' first pre-season friendly against SC Paderborn 07 in Austria on July 13.
