Birmingham City’s Chris Davies lodges a transfer claim for Paik Seung-ho, amid interest from Leeds United and Sheffield United.

Birmingham City manager Chris Davies maintains he was always optimistic the club would be able to keep midfielder Paik Seung-ho despite rumors over his future throughout the summer transfer season.

Birmingham have a busy summer following their relegation from the Championship, with a number of arriving and exiting players at St Andrew’s at Knighthead Park as Davies rebuilt his team.

The Blues board supported Davies in the transfer market, spending about £24 million, including a reported £15 million for Fulham striker Jay Stansfield, breaking the League One transfer record.

Birmingham’s relegation resulted in the departure of several players, including Jordan James, Juninho Bacuna, Alex Pritchard, Koji Miyoshi, and Siriki Dembele. However, some of their stars, such as Paik, have remained with the club in the third tier.

Keeping Paik has shown to be a wise business decision, as he has shined in the early stages of the season and has helped the Blues win five straight league games, propelling them to second place in the League One table.

Chris Davies issues Paik Seung-ho transfer claim

Paik joined Birmingham from Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in January, and he was one of the few players to emerge unscathed from their poor Championship season, shining in the second half of the season.

The 27-year-old netted the winner for the Blues in a 1-0 victory over Norwich City on the final day of the season, but it was insufficient to avoid the club’s relegation, and some fans worried he would leave in the summer.

Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers, coached by former Birmingham manager John Eustace, were both interested in signing Paik, but he stayed with St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park.

According to journalist Mike McGrath, the Blues rejected offers for Paik on deadline day, although Championship promotion contenders Leeds United and Sheffield United expressed interest in the midfielder.

Paik appears to have had a lengthy list of suitors this summer, but Davies believes he was always certain the club would be able to retain the South Korean international, and he expects him to play an important part in the coming years.

“There would have been interest in him, but I was quite clear all along that he will be a crucial player this season and in the coming years. He’s a fantastic player and a fantastic person. In my opinion, there was no genuine risk of losing him. Davies told BirminghamLive: “He has been excellent so far and needs to maintain those standards.”

Keeping Paik Seung-ho was vital for Birmingham City.

It seemed obvious that Paik would leave Birmingham this summer following relegation, but the board deserves credit for keeping the midfielder, and it is yet another evidence of their desire.

With interest from Leeds and Sheffield United, it would have been easy for the Blues to cash in on Paik, and he might have pushed to go, but the fact that he wanted to stay is a strong endorsement of the club’s promising ambition.

In reality, Paik is far too excellent for League One, and after excelling in the early stages of the season alongside Marc Leonard, his performance levels have risen even higher after Tomoki Iwata’s arrival from Celtic.

Paik and Iwata could easily fit into most Championship teams, demonstrating Davies’ remarkable depth of talent, and the two will be critical to the Blues’ promotion ambitions this season.

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