Birmingham City: Seung-Ho Paik reveals Chris Davies role in Sheffield United, Norwich City transfer call | OneFootball

Seung-Ho Paik has lifted the lid on his decision to stay at Birmingham City last summer

Birmingham City midfielder Paik Seung-Ho has opened up on his decision to remain at the club last summer after receiving offers to return to the Championship with Sheffield United, Norwich City, and Stoke City.

Paik only joined Blues in January 2024 from South Korean outfit Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC but made enough of an impression across his 18 league appearances in the remainder of the Championship campaign to prompt interest from a number of second-tier suitors upon the side's relegation to League One.

Birmingham's fate was sealed on the final day, when they were relegated to the third tier despite beating Norwich at home to take their points tally up to 50.

But the club's project and long-term ambitions are undeniably exciting, directed on the pitch by head coach Chris Davies, who joined in the summer from Tottenham Hotspur after previously serving as Ange Postecoglou's assistant.

The 39-year-old played a key role in Paik's decision to stay put in the Second City. Paik has now revealed he felt Davies was "too good to pass up", having weighed up offers from both Norwich and Stoke as well as the Blades in the aftermath of their relegation from the Premier League.

Paik Seung-Ho's Birmingham City, Chris Davies transfer admission

Speaking to Naver Sports, the 27-year-old opened up on last summer's offers. He admitted that he expected to "definitely leave" Birmingham before deciding to stick it out after being heavily impressed by Davies.

Paik said: "Honestly, I thought I would definitely leave.

"But the manager is so good. I kept fighting with myself internally, ‘If you play in a better league, won't you be able to go to the national team?’ And the other half was, ‘Under this manager, can't you really develop more as a player while playing the football I like and learned?’

"I received offers from Sheffield (United), Norwich and Stoke and if I had spoken strongly, they would have let me go.

"At first, the manager said, ‘If you don't think about staying here or don't think you'll give your best, tell me. I'll definitely let you go’.

"In fact, all the players who felt that way left. But I thought this manager was too good to pass up.

"If I had transferred, I wouldn't know what kind of football the manager there would play. It was really stressful. In the end, I decided to stay, and I'm really, really satisfied. Really."

Paik Seung-Ho is seeing vindication for brave Birmingham City transfer decision

It could have been easy for Paik to jump ship, with the 20-cap South Korea international evidently vastly above League One level. He's shown as much this season and has been an ever-present in Davies' title-chasing side, featuring in 25 of their 29 matches.

Paik's decision was definitely a brave one, but it does appear to be becoming increasingly vindicated. Birmingham have gone up a gear in recent weeks and are now nine points clear at the top of the table with just 17 games to spare.

They are sure to be playing Championship football next season, which, admittedly, is little surprise. Perhaps more importantly, though, Blues have built the foundations for longer-term success at a higher level; their ambition is extremely well-documented and returning to the Premier League is the target, and it's one that could be achieved in rather swift fashion.