Tom Wagner has put Blues' promotion ball firmly in Chris Davies' court (2024)

There’s been no gradual evolution about Birmingham City this summer. Seventeen signings, a new manager, refurbished coaching staff and a total style-makeover, Knighthead are in the revolution business.

Even before the barely-believable late deal for Jay Stansfield, one that obliterated the League One transfer record in the process, no-one could even dare to think Tom Wagner and co have not pulled out all the stops since relegation. The Stansfield transfer removes any doubt.

In the striking department alone they have cherry-picked the division’s top scorer in Alfie May and also added a current Scotland international in Lyndon Dykes who was attracting admiring eyes from Championship clubs. The 'piece de resistance' came just after 11pm when Stansfield was confirmed as a returning prodigal son. The blue-eyed romantics even have the prospect of the evergreen-ish Lukas Jutkiewicz scoring the winner that secures promotion.

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Because make no mistake about it, with Stansfield, Wagner and the rest have put the ball firmly in Chris Davies’ court. First-time manager or not, the 39-year-old is expected to take Blues up at the first time of asking and with this squad, with international footballers right down the spine, anything less would be an underachievement.

It doesn’t have to be 110 points and winning the title by clear-blue water, we’ve seen enough from Reading, Wycombe and Leyton Orient to know that Blues’ League One opponents are not going to simply lie down and allow that. But it really ought to be an automatic return to the second tier, although, if the footballing gods absolutely promise a joyous conclusion to an end-of-season play-off campaign I might be willing to listen. Assuming the Bristol Street Motors Trophy isn’t already safely in the cabinet next to the Auto Windscreens and Leyland Daf.

We’ll know a lot more about which gear Blues are in in the next few weeks, Wrexham at home, Rotherham away, Peterborough and Huddersfield at home and then Charlton away give Davies and his players the chance to take a stranglehold on the division. If they can emerge from that run with three or four wins they really would be in pole position. If they don’t the road ahead might not be as smooth as we all hope.

What is clear though is that Davies has everything he needs – including Stansfield – to negotiate the journey. Bailey Peaco*ck-Farrell and Ryan Allsop would be a good Championship pairing in goal, Krystian Bielik and Ethan Laird should be targeting the League One Team of the Season.

Paik Seung-ho is an unfeasibly good player for this level and while it might seem ridiculous to say three games in, Marc Leonard looks like he could be part of a team that emulates Ipswich Town, he surely has Premier League in his future at some point.

Listeners to the Keep Right On podcast will know my soft spot for Willum Willumsson, a classy left foot at the end of a well-built physique capable of coping with the rigours of an English winter. May is determined to keep plundering goals and it’s going to be fascinating to see what Ayumu Yokoyama can become.

All of which means the ball is indeed in Davies’ court, the early signs his team will be able to stick it in the opposition net often enough are good, Blues are coming up with enough moments of quality to get their season off on the right foot.

But Davies will be all too aware that with great privilege comes great responsibility - and that was before they tripled the competition's transfer record.

Where will Blues finish this season? Have your say here

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