Long gone are the days where a Birmingham City manager ignores his phone in January through fear of having one of the club’s best players poached midway through the season.

Blues are now in a position where they are able to keep their best players, even when clubs higher up the football pyramid show interest. The club-record acquisition of Jay Stansfield in the summer demonstrated the club’s pulling power under American big-hitters Knighthead.

Manager Chris Davies has presided over 25 wins from 34 matches this season and a number of his charges have caught the eye, but there doesn’t appear to be any danger of Blues losing anyone of note in the final fortnight of the transfer window.

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Instead, Blues – despite being ‘a third division team in England’ – are plucking high quality players like German ace Phil Neumann who is widely regarded as one of the best defenders outside the Bundesliga.

Davies commented: “I’m sure there are people looking at our players and interested in them but they are Birmingham players and we want to keep our best players here. I’ve heard nothing on the contrary to that.

“The players that are here are enjoying it, they are enjoying their football and like where they are at the moment. Hopefully we can finish this season strong so they all feel like it’s the place they want to be.”

Blues signed 17 players during the summer transfer window and some of those arrivals set their sights on the Premier League, let alone the Championship. The club is on course to return to the second tier at the first time of asking and will give themselves an eight-point cushion to third-place in League One with a win at Wrexham on Thursday.