David Dunn reveals exciting Birmingham City prediction | OneFootball

David Dunn is excited by what lies in store for his former club

Former Birmingham City midfielder David Dunn believes his old club could mount a "serious bid" for promotion next season as they return to the Championship.

Blues' exploits across the last 12 months have been nothing short of staggering, regardless of the weight of expectation that has surrounded the West Midlands outfit to deliver immediate short-term success under Chris Davies in what is the 40-year-old's first job as a manager.

Dunn experienced what playing in the blue half of the Second City during a largely successful period is like, despite racking up just 69 appearances between 2003 and the beginning of 2007 following his then-club-record transfer from hometown club, Blackburn Rovers.

It's a position which Birmingham aspire to return to under the ownership of Knighthead Capital Management, as the club's one-season fall back into League One for the first time in 30 years only intensified Tom Wagner's hunger to deliver his well-documented rebuilding job that will represent a change for the club and the landscape of the Second City as a whole.

Dunn has kept a keen eye on developments at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park and was in attendance for the final home game of the season, a 4-0 rout against Mansfield Town, and is intrigued to see how Davies' side fare in the second-tier next season.

David Dunn issues "serious" Birmingham City promotion claim ahead of Championship

The 45-year-old is remembered fondly by supporters for his contribution in the aforementioned three-and-a-half-year period sandwiched between two lengthy and mixed spells at Ewood Park, as he was the last man in royal blue to net a winning goal against Aston Villa at Villa Park in a 2-1 victory back in December 2004.

Of course, the landscape of the club since then and right now, despite being exiled from the Premier League since 2011 is in complete contrast, and with Blues expected to invest heavily this summer - including a £30,000 per-week contract offer for Kwame Poku as exclusively revealed by FLW - Dunn believes they can challenge the sides who have been established as play-off contenders in recent seasons.

"Birmingham is buzzing right now. The new ownership have done a great job with their investment and with the signings made, they have all delivered on their potential," he explained to VAVEL.

"Sometimes you can spend a lot and every team will be looking to get one over the big team, but Birmingham City have not let anything get in their way of winning the League.

"Credit to the Manager Chris Davies, who has done a brilliant job this season. I think he has managed the hype well and delivered a team week in week out to compete on the pitch. To get 111 points is no mean feat and this gives the whole team big confidence to start well next year in the Championship," Dunn added.

"Having Tom Brady on board does help elevate the team, not daily, but knowing that this Club will want to push on and it means as players you want to be part of the journey, so give everything to the cause, to make sure, you are here to see it through. It’s a game of small margins and it does filter through for sure.

"The Championship is a different beast to that of League 1, however, with this momentum and the club are likely to invest again, there is no reason Birmingham City can’t mount a serious bid for the play-offs and promotion. The crowd are all on side, they have a good coach, good squad and with some fine tuning, can give next season a real go," the former midfielder claimed.

Birmingham City's Championship exploits will be closely followed

Given the discourse generated by those inside the club on top of the positivity which circles around St Andrew's, Birmingham's exploits next season will be monitored closely by plenty of EFL onlookers and outsiders, with Wagner hoping that the club are a top-flight club again very soon to match the building of a new 62,000-seater stadium and 'Sports Quarter' complex in East Birmingham.

When appointed, Davies was given the remit of assembling a "Championship-ready" squad by former CEO, Garry Cook, and as a result of the high performance levels throughout a gruelling 60-game campaign which also included a strong performance against EFL Cup winners and UEFA Champions League hopefuls, Newcastle United, many would make a case for a high proportion of Blues' current squad to seamlessly make the transition into the second-tier.

As Dunn alluded to, the Championship is a different kettle of fish regardless of the expectancy and pressure that will surround the club internally and externally, regardless of the fact that the 2024/25 season saw Bristol City equal Leicester City's previously record-low points tally for finishing in the top six, as well as having an equidistant gap between themselves, Sheffield United - who defeated them 6-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals - and Plymouth Argyle, who were relegated in 23rd.