How Gabby Agbonlahor feels about Birmingham City returning to the Premier League - he has had Aston Villa criticism for this | OneFootball

The ex-Villa striker hopes to see the Second City derby renewed in the top flight

Former Aston Villa striker and talkSPORT pundit Gabby Agbonlahor has stated that he hopes to see Birmingham City return to the Premier League in the near future.

The pundit has been live on the station's early-morning show with Jeff Stelling at Blues' Elite Performance and Innovation Centre training base in Henley-in-Arden, on what is a historic day for the Championship side, with plans for the upcoming 62,000-seater stadium at the 'Sports Quarter' complex to be unveiled at approximately 3:25PM on Thursday afternoon.

The hope is that Birmingham would depart their iconic and spiritual home of St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park within the next five years, a ground which has been in the spotlight on many occasions due to a plethora of dramatic moments, especially in Second City derbies when those from B6 and B9 do battle.

The recent trajectories of Blues and Villa have meant the hostile, local feud hasn't been played out since a second-tier encounter in March 2019, when Jack Grealish netted a 67th-minute winner in front of the travelling support after being punched in front of the Tilton in the opening minutes of the match.

Indeed, it is a fixture extremely close to the hearts and minds of many in this part of the West Midlands, with Agbonlahor feeling such adrenaline more than most, given his notorious scoring record in the fixture.

However, with Chris Davies' side nicely positioned in 11th place after 15 games, just four points outside the play-offs, talk has been rife as to whether they can emulate Ipswich Town's recent rise and follow up a record-breaking season in League One with promotion to the Premier League after another high-profile recruitment drive.

Gabby Agbonlahor hopes Birmingham City and Aston Villa can renew rivalries in the Premier League

Unlike many other cross-city derbies, Villa and Blues haven't met in the top-flight since 2011, with the latter yet to return to the Premier League ever since their relegation, which came just months after defeating Arsenal in the EFL Cup final at Wembley.

Indeed, the only recent period in which these encounters have been a regular fixture, particularly at the elite level, was in the 2000s, and this also followed a 17-year hiatus from the top division for Birmingham.

With Tom Wagner's millions funding a high-profile rebuilding job, the American has even placed on record that Villa have been seen as somewhat of an inspiration towards his process at St. Andrew's, with Unai Emery's side now regulars on the European stage just six years after winning the Championship play-off final under Dean Smith.

When asked by Stelling how good it would be for the city to have two strong top-flight sides, Agbonlahor began: "I've said this many times, and I've had Villa fans moaning at me for saying it. Birmingham City, I want them to come back to the Premier League.

"For the city, as one, as well. It's great to have as many Premier League teams as you can.

"Wolves aren't in Birmingham, but obviously, the Midlands. They look like they're going to get relegated and West Brom don't look like they'll get promoted," the pundit added.

"It would be really good for the fans as well. The younger generation might not have witnessed Villa-Blues derbies.

"The emotion, the hatred - if you like - from the fanbases, and the games. You don't see much football being played, everyone's hooking it on, no one's getting it down and passing it," the former Villa icon explained.

"It would be great for the city. Ask any Villa or Birmingham City fan, they miss playing each other.

"There's a reason why the derby's at 12PM on a Sunday, because it's a feisty one," he explained.

Birmingham City's chances of promotion this season

As previously mentioned, the distance between Blues and the play-offs at present isn't big whatsoever, especially with 31 games still remaining.

A stuttering month-long period between September and mid-October saw questions asked of Davies, despite the 40-year-old receiving continued backing from Wagner.

The performance levels of many new signings have also split opinion, with Kyogo Furuhashi, in particular, coming under the microscope having failed to open his Championship account yet.

However, a run of three wins and two defeats in the past five games has seen Birmingham find a winning formula, and there is hope that, with an attack spearheaded by Jay Stansfield, a strong base in the middle of the park and a watertight defence, a play-off berth could be on the cards, although it remains to be seen what could be achieved from that point onwards for this season.