Chris Davies would be foolish not to make the most of 2024 Birmingham City arrival given Sunderland evidence: View | OneFootball

Birmingham City are set to enter a new era in the 2024/25 season, and it is one they would rather have avoided.

For the first time since 1995, the Blues are set to play in the third-tier of English football in the coming campaign.

That comes after they suffered relegation from the Championship on the final day of last season, with a 1-0 victory over Norwich in their last match not enough to get them out of the bottom three.

However, it is not just a new division that Birmingham will have to get used to this season, but also a new manager.

Chris Davies takes charge at St. Andrew's following relegation to League One

Amid their struggles last season, a number of different managers stepped into the dugout at St. Andrew's.

They ended the campaign with former boss Gary Rowett in interim charge, after Tony Mowbray had been forced to step back from the role for health reasons.

It was then confirmed over at the end of the campaign that Mowbray would not be returning to the position, leaving Birmingham on the hunt for a new manager.

That has since come in the form of Chris Davies, with the 39-year-old departing his role as a coach at Premier League side Tottenham to take charge of the Blues.

This is Davies' first time taking a lead managerial role at senior level, and with many at Birmingham aiming for a swift promotion back to the Championship, the pressure will certainly be on him.

However, there is an argument that there is one player in particular on the books at St Andrew's who Davies must look to get the most out of, if he is to succeed with the Blues next season.

Alex Pritchard could be key to Birmingham City promotion push

Back in this year's January transfer window, one player who made the move to the Midlands was Alex Pritchard.

The attacking midfielder arrived from Sunderland - where he had previously played under Mowbray - for an undisclosed fee.

Pritchard signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the club, securing his future at St Andrew's until the end of 2025/26 season.

Injury though, meant that the 31-year-old found his involvement somewhat limited in the second half of last season, as Birmingham were relegated from the Championship.

But with his contract securing his future at the club, and a full pre-season under his belt to ensure he should be fit and ready to play a bigger part for the Blues in the 2024/25 campaign.

That in turn, is something that Davies must surely look to exploit as he looks to take the club back into the Championship, given Pritchard's past experiences.

When the attacking midfielder first joined Sunderland back in the summer of 2021, the Black Cats themselves were still a League One club.

However, during Pritchard's debut campaign at The Stadium of Light, they would win a long-awaited promotion back to the Championship.

Indeed, the attacking midfielder made some important contributions to that success, scoring four goals and providing 13 assists - including two in the play-offs - to help Sunderland to promotion.

As a result, it is evident that on the back of that, Pritchard has both the quality and experience needed to help a side win promotion from League One and back to the Championship.

With that the task now set to Davies at Birmingham, it would surely make sense for him to look to make Pritchard into a key man for the Blues in the coming campaign.

That way, he has the chance to make both a similar individual impact to what he did with Sunderland the last time he played at that level, and help guide the rest of the squad through the pressure of such expectation.

With that in mind, it seems the signing of Pritchard that was made even before his arrival, could be a major boost for Davies as he looks to take Birmingham City back to the Championship.