"Bolton, Huddersfield and Wrexham must be respected" - Darren Anderton makes clear Birmingham City claim | OneFootball

Darren Anderton claims Birmingham City are League One favourites

Ex-Birmingham City midfielder Darren Anderton believes that his former club are favourites to win the 2024/25 League One title following the Blues' relegation from the Championship last campaign.

New boss Chris Davies will be determined to enjoy a successful first season in the dugout at St Andrew's, while the club hierarchy will be expecting a second tier return at the first time of asking.

But with a strong squad, who were arguably only relegated from the Championship due to Wayne Rooney's disastrous spell as manager, Davies could have the tools in place to win the third tier title with the Blues despite the strength of the league.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World via William Hill, he said: "Yes, and rightly so, that Birmingham City are favourites to win League One.

"With the quality they have in the squad now, plus the future signings they make, they will be rightly the ones to beat in the division this season.

"Bolton, Huddersfield and Wrexham must be respected, but if the quality of Birmingham City can be shown, the fans can enjoy winning football and the team can do well."

If the Blues are able to get moving in the right direction under Davies, then they are more than capable of lifting the League One title come the end of the season.

The Midlands outfit boast the likes of Koji Miyoshi among their ranks, who made 12 contributions in the Championship last season, which would suggest he has the ability to cause lots of problems for third tier defenders.

Meanwhile, if the Blues can retain the services of fellow wideman Siriki Dembele, he could be a key ingredient towards the club's promotion push, having scored 11 goals and created 10 assists for Peterborough back in 2020/21, which was his last season at League One level.

Promotion push may not be easy

Anderton's claim that the Blues are the favourites for the League One title makes a lot of sense, given the quality of their squad compared to that of many of their third tier opponents.

The signing of goalkeeper Ryan Allsop has undoubtedly strengthened their squad too, but Davies must bring more new bodies through the door in order to guide his new side to automatic promotion or even the title.

Peterborough United and Bolton Wanderers will be keen to push for promotion this season, after missing out in the play-offs last term, while Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United, who were relegated alongside the Blues, will also be looking to make an immediate Championship return.

While the Blues have the ability to finish top of the League One pile, the third tier has proved to be a tricky division to get out of in recent years, with the likes of both Sunderland and Ipswich Town enduring four-year stints in the division following their respective relegations from the Championship.

Meanwhile, back in 2021/22, Plymouth Argyle missed out on a top-six spot despite winning 80 points, which demonstrates the quality of the league, before the Pilgrims subsequently went on to win the title in 2023.

The Blues will have to avoid being complacent if they are to achieve their title winning aspirations.