Birmingham City are in transfer dreamland after summer spree - but Chris Davies faces fresh issue | OneFootball

Birmingham City's summer transfer business has been incredibly exciting, but manager Chris Davies is now facing some big selection dilemmas.

Birmingham City are preparing for life back in the Championship after winning promotion from League One last season.

After spending a reported total of around £24 million last summer, including £15 million on Fulham striker Jay Stansfield, Birmingham stormed to the League One title last season with a total of 111 points, which set a new EFL record.

The Blues have now regained their place in the Championship, but that is far from the extent of their ambitions, and owner Tom Wagner has revealed that the club are targeting back-to-back promotions next season, while they are expected to be one of the biggest spenders outside the Premier League this summer.

It is fair to say that Birmingham signalled their intent last week as they completed a total of six signings, and while two of those were loan deals and three were free transfers, the club signed Rennes forward Kyogo Furuhashi in a deal believed to be worth £10 million.

In addition to those new arrivals, Hannover 96 defender Phil Neumann will also link up with the Blues this summer after signing a pre-contract deal in January, but while the club's business has understandably excited supporters, it has left manager Chris Davies with something of a bloated squad.

Chris Davies facing big Birmingham City dilemmas after summer transfer activity

Of course, Davies will be reluctant to part with any of those who helped his side win the League One title in such convincing fashion last season, but with Birmingham aiming for promotion to the Premier League next term, some ruthless decisions may need to be made, with a number of players looking unlikely to have a future at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

Goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell started last season as the Blues' first choice, but he was dropped for Ryan Allsop in October after making a string of costly mistakes, and after the arrival of James Beadle, the Northern Ireland international could be pushed further down the pecking order.

In defence, the likes of Alfons Sampstead and Lee Buchanan could find themselves surplus to requirements, while Davies is facing a big call on the future of captain Krystian Bielik, who made just three starts in the second half of last season.

It was reported last month that Birmingham were planning to send midfielder Marc Leonard out on loan this summer, and the addition of Tommy Doyle will surely make the 23-year-old's temporary exit a near certainty.

Having already signed Bright Osayi-Samuel and Demarai Gray, the Blues are likely to make further additions in the wide areas this summer, and that could be bad news for Emil Hansson, who scored just two goals and provided two assists in 24 games last season, while Scott Wright may struggle for game time once he returns from a long-term knee injury towards the end of the year.

Lyndon Dykes was one of Birmingham's most eye-catching signings last summer when he joined from Queens Park Rangers for a fee of £1 million, but he found the back of the net just five times in 32 games last season, which raises question marks about how much he will feature in the Championship, particularly with increased competition for places up front after Furuhashi's arrival.

Davies will also need to make decisions on some of those who spent time out on loan last season, including Dion Sanderson, Emmanuel Longelo, Alfie Chang, George Hall and Tyler Roberts, and as things stand, it seems likely they will all be departing once again this summer, possibly on a permanent basis.

Birmingham City may need to sell before completing further transfer deals

Given that five of Birmingham's six signings so far have not cost a transfer fee, it seems likely they will do more high-profile business before the end of the window, but they may need to sanction a few exits before strengthening the squad any further.

The Blues had extra license to spend last summer as they faced relaxed financial regulations in the first season after relegation, but now they are back in the Championship, their transfer activity is likely to be much more closely monitored by the EFL.

From a football point of view, it could be difficult for Davies to manage such a large squad, which has as many as three players competing for just one position in some areas, and if he is unable to keep everyone happy, it could create division within the dressing room.

Birmingham have shown that they are willing to let players go this summer, with midfielder Brandon Khela and forward Ayumu Yokoyama joining Peterborough United and Genk respectively, and while their departures were not unanimously popular among the fan base, the club will need to make plenty more tough decisions over the coming months.

Of course, it is likely that Davies already knows which players will not be part of his plans moving forward, but the Blues may need to pause their ambitious summer recruitment drive for a short time in order to reduce the size of the squad.