Chris Davies hints at Birmingham City, Liverpool transfer U-turn | OneFootball

Lewis Koumas could be set for a Birmingham City lifeline following Chris Davies' recent comments

Birmingham City head coach Chris Davies has hinted at a Birmingham City lifeline for Liverpool loanee Lewis Koumas, who, having netted his first goals for the Blues in their most recent 3-2 victory over Coventry City, could be given the nod on a more regular basis following Demarai Gray's injury blow.

It hasn't quite been the season Birmingham City would have been hoping for following their EFL record-breaking 111-point haul in League One last season.

Many had expected the Blues to be in and amongst the top six for the majority of the season, but so far, it hasn't played out that way, with their form being patchy at best.

After seven games without a win prior to their Coventry victory, head coach Chris Davies was coming under immense pressure to start finding results sooner rather than later, and although this most recent result has bought him some time, his position is far from safe.

Liverpool loanee Lewis Koumas was afforded a starting berth against Coventry for just the fifth time in the Championship this season, and this time he took his chance, netting the second goal in the game to give Birmingham a 2-1 lead.

With the news that Demarai Gray will be sidelined until at least February, head coach Davies has hinted at Koumas being given more of a run in the side following the blow to Gray, something which may prove to pay dividends moving forward.

Chris Davies hints at Birmingham City revival for Liverpool loanee Lewis Koumas

Having netted his first goal in the Championship in over a year since his loan stint at Stoke City and his first in Birmingham royal blue, head coach Davies has hinted at the possibility of Koumas playing a bigger role for the club in the coming weeks and months.

It had previously been speculated that the 20-year-old forward could return to Liverpool this winter amid his lack of game time, but with Gray now out injured, this has left them short in forward areas.

Scott Wright returned to the Birmingham squad for the first time since February in their victory over Coventry, whilst Keshi Anderson has also struggled for form in the second tier this campaign.

Speaking about Koumas' first goal for the club, Davies said, "With Lewis, I was speaking to him about needing that moment. He needed that goal to be the catalyst to really kick on at the club.

"To be fair to him, he hadn’t had a lot of chances to do it because he’s been out of the team and just coming on for little bits, but to play, to start, to score in a game like that was a big moment.

"I’ve spoken to Lewis and he was really pleased with the day, his best day for us, and it’s a case of, ‘OK, let’s go from there and get ready for the next match."

With the busy festive period now over, the fixture list gets steadier for Birmingham for a bit, as does it with every other Championship side, and Koumas looks to have a fair run in the side for games against Cambridge United, Swansea City, Sheffield Wednesday, and former club Stoke.

Davis would add, "We’ll keep open-minded on it, as Lewis will, as to how it develops through January. He’s got to be confident he’s getting the game time here and the opportunities here, as have Liverpool ultimately, and we’ve got to be really happy with Lewis and everything in that sense."

Whilst there are no guarantees that he will remain at the club beyond January, his goal against Coventry has certainly done a lot to put him back into Davies' thoughts moving forward, and if he can capitalise on being given a run in the side, the sky is the limit for the remainder of the season for Koumas.

Birmingham remains some way off the play-off places as it stands, sitting seven points off 6th place Watford and 7th place Hull City, who both have a game in hand.

A record-breaking season last time out would have had many Birmingham fans' expectations through the roof upon their return to the second tier, but so far, it hasn't been the return they would've hoped for.

Ipswich Town managed to complete back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League just a couple of seasons ago, meaning a similar feat for Birmingham could not be immediately ruled out, given they were in arguably a stronger position than that of Ipswich.

Though the season is far from over, and given the volatile nature of the Championship, one good run of form could well see the Blues shoot right back up the table and into the play-off conversation once more.

What sort of role Koumas will have to play in that remains to be seen, but his situation at St Andrews now looks more promising than it did just a couple of weeks ago, and should he take advantage of Gray's injury, what's to stop him from displacing the former Leicester City winger in the side for good?