Chris Davies has one big Birmingham City issue to fix and he knows it | OneFootball

Birmingham City manager Chris Davies has admitted the club need to bring in another left-back to provide competition for Alex Cochrane.

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

Birmingham stormed to the League One title last season with an incredible total of 111 points, which set a new EFL record, but while they are now back in the Championship, that is far from the extent of their ambitions.

Blues owner Tom Wagner has made it clear that the club are targeting back-to-back promotions next season, and he has certainly backed up his words with actions by bringing in seven new signings so far this summer, including Rennes striker Kyogo Furuhashi in a deal worth up to £10 million.

Despite their influx of new additions, it seems Birmingham are far from done in the transfer market, and as FLW exclusively revealed last week, the Midlands outfit are closing in on the signing of Werder Bremen forward Marvin Ducksch, who scored nine goals and provided 11 assists in 36 appearances for the Bundesliga side last season.

The Blues are certainly building a side that looks capable of achieving Wagner's dream of consecutive promotions, but manager Chris Davies has admitted that there is one area of the team still in need of strengthening.

Chris Davies makes Birmingham City transfer admission

While he was not one of their higher-profile additions, defender Alex Cochrane proved to be one of Birmingham's best signings last summer following his £1.3 million move from Scottish side Hearts.

Cochrane was one of the Blues' most consistent performers during their title success last term, but he operated largely without competition for his place for much of the season, and that remains the case going into the new campaign.

After returning from a long-term calf problem, Lee Buchanan made just three appearances for Birmingham last season before sustaining a serious knee injury in the early stages of the 0-0 draw against Blackpool in December.

Speaking after the 2-0 pre-season victory at Port Vale on Saturday, Davies revealed that Buchanan still has a long way to go in his recovery, and he conceded that the Blues need to bring in another left-back before the end of the transfer window.

"Lee is a good few months away," Davies told Birmingham Live.

Tom Wagner must resolve Birmingham City problem after Chris Davies demand

Cochrane has been excellent since his arrival at Birmingham, but he made a total of 54 appearances last season, and it is unrealistic to expect him to be able to maintain that level of workload again in the upcoming campaign, particularly given the increased demands of the Championship.

Seven of Cochrane's 54 appearances last season came in the EFL Trophy, which is a competition where top League One sides typically rest their best players, but the fact that the 25-year-old was forced to play regularly highlights the Blues' shortage of left-back options.

Birmingham did bring in Lee Myung-jae on a free transfer in February, but he made just three appearances before being released at the end of his short-term contract in May, meaning Davies is back to square one in his search for a new left-back.

Buchanan has proven himself to be a strong performer at Championship level previously, with his displays for Derby County earning him a move to Werder Bremen in the summer of 2022, and he was one of few players to emerge with any credit from the Blues' dismal relegation season in the 2023-24 campaign.

However, with Davies confirming that Buchanan is facing at least a few more months on the sidelines, Birmingham must bring in a replacement, and, considering his injury problems over the past year, there is no guarantee that he will be able to remain fit once he recovers, so the club should invest properly in a new left-back, rather than seeking another short-term solution like Myung-jae.

Davies has suggested that Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Eiran Cashin could be used at left-back in an emergency, but given the club's lofty ambitions, the 40-year-old will not want to have to field a makeshift defence for any fixture next season, so solving the one remaining weak area in the squad should be his next transfer priority.