Chris Davies reveals previous Swansea City talks before Birmingham City move - they were "fairly close" | OneFootball

The Blues boss could have ended up in the Swansea dugout prior to his B9 move

Birmingham City manager Chris Davies revealed that he came close to landing the Swansea City job on two occasions prior to taking on his first managerial role at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park last summer.

The West Midlands and South Wales sides are set to lock horns for the first time since January 2024 in the Second City on Saturday lunchtime, with Davies hoping that his side can respond to a frustrating run of recent results.

Blues returned to the Championship this summer riding the crest of a wave after accumulating a record-breaking tally of 111 points in League One, yet have suffered in recent weeks as Davies lost three successive games in all competitions for the first time in his still-young managerial career thus far at the hands of Port Vale, Leicester City and against Stoke City, with Birmingham also failing to find the net in those respective encounters.

Swansea are set to provide yet another stern test for Blues, having made a steady start to Alan Sheehan's first full season in charge, with the Welsh side involved in a dramatic comeback victory against Premier League side Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night, with the Swans coming from 2-0 down to win 3-2 through Cameron Burgess' 97th-minute strike and his second of the tie.

However, whilst returning to form will undoubtedly be at the forefront of Davies' mind, a fresh revelation from the 40-year-old will certainly add a minor element of spice to the upcoming second-tier clash.

Chris Davies reveals previous Swansea City managerial conversations before Birmingham City move

Davies does have pre-existing history with Swansea, having been a part of Brendan Rodgers' backroom team as the club were promoted via the play-offs in 2011 through a 4-2 win against Reading at Wembley, before consolidating their position in the Premier League.

However, some 11 years after his departure and subsequent spells at the likes of Liverpool, Leicester City, Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur as Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou's understudy, he admits that the Swansea hierarchy made contact with him twice in a matter of months as they replaced Russell Martin with Michael Duff, before Luke Williams took the job in January 2024.

“I spoke to them when I was at Spurs and it developed, it was fairly close I would say but in the end I was really happy in my job at Spurs and stayed there," the Blues boss revealed via Birmingham Live.

“I spoke to them the summer before that as well. It’s all about timing and it wasn’t right for me then but obviously they have gone on and made a great start to this season as well.

“I have great respect for everyone at the club and, like I say, it was something that I came fairly close to and I’m very happy in the end that I joined Birmingham City," he added.

Chris Davies will have no regrets over previous Swansea City, Birmingham City decision

After becoming Blues boss ahead of the club's solitary season at League One level in 30 years, Davies has already become a cult hero in the eyes of many at St. Andrew's, despite the fact there has been recent criticism following his first major blip in charge.

The former Spurs assistant was able to mould a squad together that dealt extremely well with external pressure last season as a result of financial backing from Knighthead Capital Management, and has subsequently become one of the most highly-rated young, homegrown managers the country has to offer.

Given his experiences in the West Midlands so far, Davies will have no regrets over his decision, and he will hope to continue overseeing matters at Blues in the long run, with the club expected to move into a new 62,000-seater stadium in the years to come.