Birmingham City facing 'big' Chris Davies decision? Ex-Aston Villa man drops view | OneFootball

Gareth Barry has given his verdict on Chris Davies' future at Birmingham City

Birmingham City were unable to sustain a promotion push in their first year back in the Championship.

The Blues earned promotion from League One in 2025 under Chris Davies with a record-breaking points total of 111.

The Midlands outfit were aiming to contend for a top six finish in their first season back in the second tier, but they ultimately only managed to come 10th.

Pressure mounted on the head coach in the final weeks of the campaign, but he remains in charge as plans are finalised for the upcoming transfer window.

Owners Knighthead Capital, led by Tom Wagner, will be keen to see an improvement from the squad at the start of next season, with their sights set on returning the club to the Premier League.

Birmingham were nine points adrift of the play-off places, but enjoyed a four-game unbeaten run to end the campaign on a positive note.

Gareth Barry makes Chris Davies pressure claim

Former Aston Villa star Gareth Barry has claimed that Davies will be under pressure to make a positive start to next season, or else his position will be at risk.

While he believes fans have been patient with the project being built so far, he expects the owners will demand a promotion push next year, putting even more pressure on the 41-year-old after a tricky first campaign back in the Championship.

"Living in the area, I know the Birmingham fans are excited," said Barry, via Birmingham Live.

"They seem pretty patient, to be fair.

"There were slight expectations that they could get to the play-offs, but I think they're probably happy with the direction the club's going.

"They've all seen the plans from the new owners, if you're doing well on the pitch, it helps everything else.

"You can gain rewards financially as well.

"They're going to have a big decision with the manager there, Chris Davies.

"It was his first year in the Championship, so you can't expect too much despite dominating League One.

"There's certainly going to be a tiny bit more pressure next year than I think they will be expecting to push a lot closer to the play-offs at least."

Davies was appointed in the summer of 2024 following Birmingham’s relegation from the Championship.

He previously worked as a coach under Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic, before taking on his first head coach position at St. Andrew’s.

The 41-year-old earned a lot of plaudits for his work in his first season with the Blues, but his position was under threat at multiple points of this season.

Davies remains in charge for the time being, with the club now putting together their plans for the summer ahead.

Wagner will be keen to improve the squad, with Birmingham’s sights on returning to the Premier League for the first time since 2011.

The play-offs have been expanded to include the top eight for the next campaign, which will bolster their chances of maintaining their aspirations of top flight football.

The transfer window will open on 15 June, while the club will discover their opening match opponent on 25 June.

Chris Davies cannot afford a slow start to next season

There were multiple occasions this year where it looked like the end was coming for Davies, but he has hung on up until this point and it seems like he will be in charge next season.

Further investment in the first team squad can be expected this summer given the level of commitment Wagner has shown since taking over the club.

But if the team have a slow start, then it would be surprising if Davies was able to cling on, as a change in the dugout would surely follow.

While he’s done well at Birmingham, the amount being spent by the owners means that they need to see strong results quickly in order to get the most out of their investment.