Troy Deeney, a former Birmingham City striker and commentator, thinks Chris Davies is the ideal manager to lead the Blues to success. He even likened him to Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal.

Following Birmingham’s relegation to League One last summer, Davies was given his first senior managerial position after serving as a coach for teams like Celtic, Leicester City, and Tottenham Hotspur.

It has not been as easy for the 40-year-old in the Championship, despite Davies’ stellar debut season at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park, where he led the Blues to the third tier crown with an EFL-record total of 111 points.

Following a successful start to the season, Birmingham’s performance started to deteriorate, and during a run of just two victories in nine games from August to October, Davies came under increasing pressure. According to Football Insider, he was even given a few weeks to save his job before the international break in November.

Back-to-back 4-0 home wins over Portsmouth and Millwall earlier this month greatly reduced the mounting pressure on Davies’ job, despite the same publication later claiming that former Wolves manager Gary O’Neil was one of the Blues’ top targets to replace Davies if they wanted to make a move.

Despite Birmingham’s disheartening 2-1 loss to Middlesbrough on Saturday, Davies’ job appears secure going into the international break. His team is presently in 11th place in the standings, four points out of the play-off spots.

Troy Deeney surprises In the midst of the positive Chris Davies and Birmingham City verdict, Mikel Arteta parallel

A lifelong Birmingham fan, Deeney praised Davies for his work at St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park, saying his unwavering attitude reminds him of Arteta, whose Arsenal team is currently four points clear at the top of the Premier League. Deeney scored 11 goals in 56 games during a two-year stint at the club between 2021 and 2023.

“The management seems like mustard to me. Additionally, Deeney stated on the Keep Right On podcast, “I think he’s a top, top bloke.”

“And I believe that in order to get to where we are now, I can see why the difficulties are occurring from the outside.

“Because we were by far the greatest team in League One the previous season. That leads to complacency, which means that even if you play at 60–70 percent, you’re still superior to the person.

“I don’t know, probably a poor name, but we can defeat them even if they don’t play well when we defeat them in the league, like Peterborough.

“When you get to the Championship, nobody is afraid of you, nobody is waiting to give you credit, and everyone is just as fast.

“And I believe the guys have simply needed that brief respite, where you can mentally re-engage.” “Okay, this is what it’s supposed to be,” you say. They must also start up anew.

“I have factual knowledge that the manager sets the standards. He pushes everyone to perform better than they ought to, even when they succeed.

“That’s not only to be at this level, but to compete in the Premier League once more, which is why I believe Chris is ideal for it.

“I don’t know him very well. I don’t consider him a buddy or anything. I simply believe that he is the coach of today, but with the old-fashioned mindset of “keep going, keep driving, and keep winning”—to simply be unrelenting in his pursuit of success.

“I see a great deal of Arteta in him and his actions. He is simply unrelenting; you play the way you train. Continue. This is the way of thinking.

Additionally, we will respect the opposition, but we will be so much better than you that you will have to cope with it. We will continue to do things our way and will find methods to win. That’s my perspective.

“So for me, I think he’s the one now and the team and the players have got to step up to the standard.”

Mikel Arteta and Chris Davies’ audacious assertion is supported by documented proof from Birmingham City.

Deeney’s comparison of Arteta to Davies is bold considering that Arteta is now considered to be among the world’s greatest managers, but there are undoubtedly parallels between the two in terms of their management styles.

Davies’ passion and unwavering drive to win were evident to viewers of Birmingham’s recent Amazon documentary, and it is evident from Arsenal’s own behind-the-scenes series that Arteta has a similar mindset, which undoubtedly explains why both managers have had success.

Davies has little leeway if he wants to keep the trust of the hierarchy in the long run, though, as the Blues have had a patchy start to life back in the Championship and owner Tom Wagner has made no secret of the team’s goal of back-to-back promotions this season.