Jordan James clarity and the urgency of Chris Davies, when Birmingham City begins the transfer window

The transfer window opens on Friday and Birmingham City can officially add players to Chris Davies’ squad for the upcoming League One campaign.

The Blues are yet to make an addition, largely due to being without a manager until a week ago, but that process may now accelerate. A number of players have been linked with the club and there are doubts over some of those already on the cards.

The waters seem pretty clear when it comes to Jordan James. The eight-goal midfielder attracted interest in January and the Blues will struggle to hang on to him this summer, with Atalanta set to test those waters again.

James, 19, is unlikely to spend a season in League One now that he has forced his way into Wales’ starting line-up. An Adam Wharton-like figure might do it, but there’s no reason why the Blues can’t command a good fee for James.

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Ethan Laird, Paik Seung-ho, Koji Miyoshi and Juninho Bacuna also have to decide if they can handle a season in League One. While there is no doubt that the Blues have individuals capable of succeeding in the Championship, it would be encouraging to see some accept responsibility for relegation and commit to helping the club out of League One.

The same can be said for Krystian Bielik, who has already had a meeting with Davies on his first day at the helm. Bielik is one of the club’s most influential players and it would be a major boost to keep him around next season.

Who does the recruiting?

Technical director Craig Gardner is working in tandem with academy technical director Mike Rigg and new boss Davies to identify new players. They were given the task of “building a championship team for League One” by chief executive Garry Cook.

In some cases the Blues will have players earn Championship wages. The vast majority of opponents next season won’t be able to compete with that.

The Blues now rely on data more than ever and will identify and sign players based on their numbers. As manager, Davies will have a big say over the players who eventually walk through the door.

In his first interview, Davies said: “Recruitment is key for every team and we have quite a few positions to fill. We have to do it calmly and clearly and bring in the right characters because it is imperative that we are fit. what we’re trying to create here, both on the field and with their behaviors off the field. There are already some skilled people here working hard on this and that will be a big focus in the next few weeks to get going. “