Bigger plan must be in place after Birmingham City £20m transfer reveal: View | OneFootball

Chris Davies will need to put his stamp on the squad, but £20m is a lot of money for an inexperienced manager to spend.

Birmingham City need to inject some fresh players into their squad following their relegation at the end of last term.

After securing a win against Norwich City on the final day of the season, Blues would have been hoping to compete in the Championship again next season, but results didn't go their way and that has consigned them to a place in League One.

However, one positive for them is the fact they seem to have their house in order during the early stages of this summer, with Chris Davies being appointed their new manager and Ryan Allsop joining from Hull City for an undisclosed fee.

Their business isn't done following their first summer signing, with Alan Nixon reporting that Blues have a £20m budget for this season.

That is an eye-watering amount of money for a third-tier club, even for a side that needs to make quite a few additions during the current window.

With their former loanees departing and some of their first-teamers, including Neil Etheridge, Gary Gardner, Scott Hogan, Marc Roberts and Ivan Sunjic, all being released, more quality and depth will be required if the Midlands side are to give themselves the best chance of returning to the second tier at the first time of asking.

Birmingham City need to have a clear plan for their £20m expenditure

The costs of transfer fees, signing-on fees, agent fees and wages all add up, which means the £20m budget may not be as high as it seems.

However, it's still an eye-watering amount of money and it's clear that they will be more ambitious than most other third-tier sides this summer, something that is reinforced by their interest in Burnley's Scott Twine, who won't be a cheap addition for any club that wants to recruit him.

If they are to spend a hefty amount during the summer and/or winter windows, they should have a solid plan in place, led by the likes of Garry Cook (pictured above) and Craig Gardner.

Cook has come under a lot of pressure for some of last season's decisions, but if he has the right plan in place for next term, he could get fans back onside.

Off-field matters will need to be taken care of, as well as on-field issues.

Another goalkeeper may be required if John Ruddy doesn't sign a new deal, a replacement for Cody Drameh will probably be needed, and there's plenty of work to be done in the centre-back area too.

Blues do have some decent midfield options at the moment, but they need a rebuild in the striker department as a matter of urgency. Moving quickly for targets is likely to be a key part of their plan, with the club needing to make quite a few signings before the season starts.

Why Birmingham City need a clear transfer plan

If their managerial turnover in recent years has taught them anything, it's the fact Birmingham can't afford to think that their current manager Davies will definitely be in charge of the Midlands side for the long term.

With this in mind, they need a plan that's led by other key figures, including Gardner and Cook.

Allowing Davies to put his stamp on the squad will maximise his chances of success at St Andrew's and he should have a say on the club's recruitment, but he can't be the one who controls it.

Spending that amount of money and letting a manager have a tight grip over who comes in would be a massive risk, especially if Davies' potential successor isn't a fan of the players who are signed during the current window and potentially the next one.

Birmingham need to prioritise recruiting players who are likely to adapt well to several systems and methods, something Gardner may have a better chance of doing than Davies, who may be firmly focused on playing a particular way to try and get the best out of his team.

It's also worth saying that Blues' current boss isn't very experienced, potentially making it even more of a risk to give him a high amount of control over signings.