Blues Kieran McKenna says it’s a big, big positive that left-back Leif Davis has committed his future to Town.
Davis, 25, has been the subject of speculation throughout the summer, albeit with the Blues still to receive an offer for his services and the former Leeds man having signed a deal which runs to the summer of 2028 in October last year.
Nevertheless, after a summer which has seen Liam Delap, Omari Hutchinson, Sam Morsy, Nathan Broadhead, Cameron Burgess, Axel Tuanzebe and Massimo Luongo depart, Davis ruling out joining them is a news Town fans will be pleased to hear.
"I’ve had those conversations with Leif anyway, so I know exactly where his mindset is,” McKenna said.
"That he wants to stay, feels like it’s going to be an important year for him to keep developing, improving, take the lessons that he’s learned over the last few years and consolidate them and have a big season for himself and really help the club.
"That’s a big, big positive and we’ve got to keep working with him now to help him get better and better.”
Asked whether it’s refreshing for a player to commit himself to a club following relegation to the Championship when so many others look for a quick return to the Premier League, McKenna added: "It’s a big positive, no doubt about it. Every situation is different and you don’t want to pigeon-hole players together, every situation is different.
"In Leif’s case, he’s had an incredible climb really from when he arrived here first in League One, he had hardly played a senior game and then he went League One, Championship, Premier League and that’s a really quick ascent.
"He did some fantastic things last year but, like everyone, there were some lessons to learn.
"He’s got a real affinity for the club, knows how important he is here and he wants to help the team this year.
"And he also knows that for him to just keep accumulating the games, keep starting, playing matches and keep developing as a player, although he’s not very, very, very young in years, he’s still young in his career, really.
"He feels that he’s still improving here and he can help us and we feel the same, so happy to have him.”
Quizzed on which aspects of his game the Newcastle-born full-back has to improve, McKenna reflected: "With a player who has Leif’s potential and background, every area. He’s obviously been a certain type of full-back for us, a really attacking on-the-outside full-back and he’ll certainly do that this year.
"There are times this year, with the nature of having a Jaden Philogene or a Jack Clarke in the squad from the start of the season, he might attack some different spaces, might attack on the inside a little bit more. That asks different challenges of him technically and of his tactical awareness as well.
"We think that will round his development off and will also give us a more balanced and varied threat on that side of the pitch.
"And, of course, his defensive game. When you’re an attacking full-back like Leif, it’s very rare that you have both sides absolutely perfect or you’d be at Real Madrid already.
"He’s still accumulating games and a chance to keep working with all those defensive aspects as well.
"Like every player down there, he’s got his strengths, he’s got his areas to work on and that’s the job.”