"Great addition" - Chris Davies reacts as ex-Premier League player joins Birmingham City setup | OneFootball

Tom Huddlestone has been appointed as a first team coach at Birmingham City

Chris Davies has expressed his delight at Tom Huddlestone joining the Birmingham City first team coaching staff.

The club has confirmed the arrival of the former midfielder this week, as they look to build a backroom staff that can guide the Blues to automatic promotion this season.

Davies was appointed as manager during the summer following their relegation from the Championship, arriving from Tottenham Hotspur.

Huddlestone previously worked as a player-coach at underage level for Manchester United from 2022 to 2024 before joining Wigan Athletic in July.

He was also appointed to the England U21 coaching staff in August as part of interim manager Ben Futcher’s backroom team.

Chris Davies reacts to Birmingham’s Huddlestone appointment

Davies believes that Huddlestone will be a strong addition to the Birmingham coaching staff, highlighting his experience as a player from his 22-year career.

He is hopeful that the squad will be able to learn a lot from him, as they eye a place back in the Championship at the first attempt.

“Tom is an excellent coach and a great addition to our First Team Staff as we look to build on our start to the 2024/25 season,” said Davies, via the club’s official website.

“He has vast playing experience, which has been added to by coaching roles he has held with both club and international teams.

“This will provide a different dynamic to the group and I expect the squad to feed off his knowledge of the game.

“We are all looking forward to working with him and wish him every success at Birmingham City.”

Davies has taken on his first role as a manager with Birmingham, and is still in the process of building his backroom staff.

He previously worked as a coach at clubs like Swansea City, Liverpool, Celtic and Leicester City before joining Ange Postecoglou’s coaching staff at Spurs in 2023.

Birmingham City league position

Davies will be under pressure to deliver results this season, with the club eyeing an immediate return to the Championship.

The Blues have made a positive start to life in League One, winning four of their first five games.

The Midlands outfit sit second in the table, level on points with leaders Wrexham, who they beat last Monday night, with only goal difference separating the clubs.

Charlton Athletic are also level on points with the two leaders, but Birmingham have played a game fewer than both sides.

Huddlestone appointment is an interesting move for Birmingham

Huddlestone earned a lot of plaudits for the work he did at Man United prior to his move to Wigan in the summer.

He’s not lasted long with the Latics, quickly moving on again to Birmingham, so it’s hard to judge what kind of impact he’s had there.

But it’s a positive step for Davies to still be building his coaching staff while they’ve made a strong start to the season.

It shows that Birmingham are still in the early stages of building their project, which is an ominous sign for the rest of the third division given they’re already second in the table.