Eight reunions Chris Davies could target from Gray homecoming to Tottenham wonderkid
Birmingham City manager Chris Davies is in the process of preparing his squad for a tilt at the Championship
Managers love to save themselves the hassle of due diligence phone calls by signing players they already know.
Birmingham City have benefitted from this particular tactic in years gone by with Alex McLeish reuniting with Barry Ferguson at St Andrew’s and Gary Rowett bringing in Jacques Maghoma, whom he had worked with at Burton Albion.
Chris Davies hadn’t previously worked with any of the 20 players Blues signed over the course of last season but that isn’t to say that he won’t reunite with anyone now that the club has moved up a level.
The Blues boss has coached a plethora of talented players at his previous clubs and has contacts to tap into if needs be.
Here, we have taken a look at some of the players who Davies has coached that might be worth a look this summer…
Jamie Donley
Let’s start with the Tottenham connection. It wouldn’t have been a surprise if Davies had leant on his former club last summer when they were dishing out their most talented youngsters, but he opted not to.
Jamie Donley’s performances in League One over the course of the campaign for Leyton Orient might have convinced Davies to make a move this summer.
The attacker played wide or as a number 10 for Orient and registered 18 goal contributions in the league in a season which culminated in play-off heartbreak at Wembley.
We know that Davies favours a left-footed number 10 and Donley recorded more goal involvements than Willum Willumsson last season.
Will Lankshear
Big things were expected of 20-year-old centre-forward Lankshear when he joined West Bromwich Albion on loan in January but, for whatever reason, he was used sparingly.
Lankshear only made 11 appearances for Albion and failed to back up his goal-laden 2023/24 season at youth level with his first senior strike.
Another loan will likely be in the offing for Lankshear this summer and a difficult spell at The Hawthorns is unlikely to put clubs off.
Mikey Moore
The uber-talented Moore is someone Davies knows well having coached him to his Spurs debut in the Premier League as a 16-year-old in May 2024.
Moore won’t turn 18 until mid-August but already has 21 senior appearances to his name and scored in the Europa League against Elfsborg in January.
Half the Championship would want Moore if he became available but that is doubtful because he is still so young.
Demarai Gray
Blues are understood to be interested in bringing Gray back to St Andrew’s from Saudi side Al-Ettifaq but the deal is a difficult one to do. There are big numbers involved and Gray is coveted by clubs in the Premier League and on the continent.
Davies worked with Gray when he was assistant to Brendan Rodgers at Leicester City and the winger played 40 times under him.
Luke Thomas
Blues require a new left-back to compete with Alex Cochrane for a starting berth and Thomas, who played 79 times under Davies at Leicester, has reached a crossroads at the King Power Stadium.
Now 24, Thomas has played much more Premier League football than he has in the Championship, but he has struggled to make himself a fixture in Leicester’s line-up and could use a fresh start.
Ben Davies
One more centre-back is needed to complete the quartet and Ben Davies, who already knows the system and style, would be ideal. Football rarely works that way though and the noises suggest new Rangers boss Russell Martin wants a good look at Davies in pre-season.
That delay will turn Blues’ heads elsewhere but Davies is worth bearing in mind after an excellent campaign on loan.
Kieran Dowell
It’s a similar story for Blues’ second Rangers loanee but there was always the feeling with Dowell that his future at Ibrox is more clear-cut.
The 27-year-old is determined to play having made more starts for Blues (21) in four months than he did for Rangers (9) in the previous 18 months.
The presence of Martin, who knows Davies and Dowell well from his time in England, has thrown a spanner in the works.
Kristoffer Ajer
Let’s finish with an ambitious one. Davies coached Ajer for three years at Celtic and the 27-year-old has impressive physical qualities.
Ajer stands at 6ft 6ins but has athleticism to go with it. Brentford have used Ajer as a right-back in addition to his favoured role at centre-back and that type of flexibility is appealing.
He didn’t play every game for the Bees last season and if he fancied a change of scenery, the teams planning to compete at the top end of the Championship might be in with a shout.