Birmingham City look set for what could be a decisive pre-season in the summer, as the club look to eventually meet Knighthead Capital Management's lofty expectations on the pitch.
This will come after the end of what has been a disappointing first season back in the Championship for Blues, all things considered, with much more expected of Chris Davies and his side from those on the outside after coasting to the League One title last year with an already impressive pre-existing squad.
It must be remembered that this is still Davies' first ever role as a manager after previous spells as an assistant at clubs such as Leicester City, Celtic, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, although many feel there has now been a large enough sample size of matches for the 41-year-old to be critiqued on when it comes to his overall performance at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.
As such, it has been well-known that, at various points of the Championship season, Davies has become the subject of sack calls and reports, whilst still retaining the full confidence and support of owner, Tom Wagner.
But, with Birmingham currently 14th in the table despite taking four points from their last two matches, with a win over Wrexham followed up by a 1-1 draw at Hull City, Football League World understands that a managerial change could still be in the offing come the summer, and that Knighthead are eyeing up a potentially shock swoop for former Tottenham Hotspur head coach, Thomas Frank.
With that in mind, we asked our Birmingham City fan pundit, Jason Moore, for his immediate reaction to such developments.
Birmingham City urged to consider 'Premier League' level Thomas Frank as potential replacement for Chris Davies
It had already been claimed that England Under-21s boss, Lee Carsley, had emerged as a potential name on the club's shortlist should Davies lose his spot in the dugout, with Frank now also appearing to feature alongside the ex-Blues midfielder on this front.
The 52-year-old endured a frustrating eight-month spell at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before being dismissed in February, but had previously done an impressive job at London rivals, Brentford, after initially replacing Dean Smith in November 2018.
In the Championship, the Bees were so often a fine watch in Frank's high-pressing system, which developed the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Said Benrahma, Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins, and eventually led to a play-off victory in May 2021 over Swansea City.
It is, therefore, rather unsurprising why Moore believes a move for the Dane would be a statement from the West Midlands outfit.
"It's an absolutely massive upgrade on Chris Davies. He's a 'Premier League-esque' manager'," Moore told FLW.
"Look at the job he did at Brentford. He's 100% an upgrade.
"Whether we've got the pull power to get him, I'd be surprised if we have," he added.
"If you can get Thomas Frank in the Championship, it'd be absolutely silly not to. But, I'd be surprised if we had the power to get him.
"There's not much else to say, you'd just be stupid not to go and get him. If he wants the move, get him in, 100%," Moore stated.
"He knows he'd get financially backed, and to be fair, it's probably an attractive job for a lot of managers. You know you're going to be backed and get a lot of money.
"If Thomas Frank wants to come in, then bring him in, 100%. I'd take him over Chris Davies any day of the week."
Blues fans, can you see Thomas Frank replacing Chris Davies? Comment below!
Thomas Frank could help deliver Birmingham City's long-awaited Premier League return
Given his stature and recent achievements, barring a disappointing spell with Spurs, Frank is still highly regarded within the game, and it would certainly increase expectation levels at St. Andrew's if Blues were to secure his appointment.
However, as previously mentioned, he is someone who would provide extensive knowledge of the Championship given his experience as a promotion contender for two seasons with Brentford, as well as knowing what would be required in order to consolidate in the Premier League afterwards.
Even though Frank is currently out of work, it may prove to be a rather pricey gamble for Knighthead, but one that could well be worth the risk.