Birmingham City face Sunderland pressure in Thomas Frank race | OneFootball

The Dane has emerged as a wanted man in the potential post-season managerial shake-up

With the Championship's regular season entering its final week, a plethora of clubs will have already begun planning for the upcoming 2026/27 campaign.

One of the clubs falling into said category are Birmingham City, with the West Midlands outfit not quite able to live up to the pre-season hype and expectation which was generated at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

It has been guaranteed that, as a result of a recent upturn in results and performances in B9, Blues will finish inside the Championship's top half for the first time in 10 years, which would also normally be viewed as strong progress for a side which was crowned League One champions just 12 months ago.

However, the ambitions, both short and long-term, that have been set out by the club's American investors, Knighthead Capital Management, have been well-documented, meaning that many expected Chris Davies' side to somewhat emulate the momentum which Ipswich Town were able to take from the third tier into the Premier League between 2023 and 2024, especially with Birmingham continuing to invest heavily into the playing squad across both transfer windows.

As such, it remains to be seen if the upcoming trip to face Portsmouth at Fratton Park will be Davies' 110th and final encounter in charge of Blues in a competitive sense, with the 41-year-old being the subject of various sack calls throughout the year.

It remains to be seen, for one, if said change is to be made by the likes of Tom Wagner, and two, who will be the club's next man in the hotseat.

However, yet another managerial twist has now emerged that may have ramifications on Knighthead's plans.

Birmingham City face Sunderland threat in potential appointment of Thomas Frank

Whilst Davies has been the subject of exit talk at St. Andrew's, the former Tottenham Hotspur assistant has so often retained the backing of the aforementioned Wagner, both publicly and through a continuation of investment in the transfer market.

However, with his second season in charge now drawing to a close, Football League World exclusively revealed that, in the event Davies was to be relieved of his duties, Birmingham would plot an ambitious move for Thomas Frank, who has been out of work since February following his dismissal from Spurs.

It has since been claimed that contact has been made between the two parties, with Blues chiefs impressed with a data-driven model which Frank adopted during his spell at Brentford, in which the Bees were promoted through the Championship play-offs in 2020/21 before establishing themselves in the Premier League.

That said, Scottish Premiership giants, Celtic, are also reported to have shown an interest, whilst FLW's sister publication, Football Fan Cast, have now revealed that the 52-year-old has emerged as a target for Sunderland, if the Black Cats are to part ways with Regis Le Bris.

Surprise exit talk has surrounded the French boss in recent days, even though the Wearside club have enjoyed a fine first season back in the Premier League under his management.

It has been claimed that Frank is also strongly admired by Sunderland chairman, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, irrespective of his poor record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Birmingham City will hope long-term ambitions could help fend off Sunderland and Celtic in Thomas Frank battle

On the surface, it seems as though Birmingham would have very little chance of competing for Frank's services against a Premier League side and another, in Celtic, who are set to compete in Europe once more despite a campaign of chaos at Parkhead.

However, the club's long-term vision is well-known, and it includes moving to the 62,000-seater Powerhouse stadium by 2030, whilst Frank would likely be backed in the same manner as Davies when it comes to resources in the transfer market, on top of his pre-existing experience of promotions and beyond.

Yet, with the Dane looking as if he will not be short of offers, the ball will be very much in his court when it comes to deciding the latest career venture he wants to pursue.