Demarai Gray is heading into his second season with Birmingham City under manager Chris Davies with a clear focus on fitness and consistency after a calf injury disrupted his first campaign. The 30-year-old winger, a Brummie returning to his hometown club, has enjoyed a rare uninterrupted pre-season and has already impressed in early friendlies with a flurry of goals.
Injury Setback in Debut Season
Gray recorded 11 goal contributions in all competitions during the 2025/26 season but struggled to maintain his early form after sustaining a calf injury on Boxing Day. Before the injury, he was in top form, but upon returning, he found Ibrahim Osman excelling in his left-wing position. "Before the injury I was in a really good place performance wise, I was playing some of the best football I had played in a while, and coming back from that I didn't quite feel the same," Gray told Blues+. "I wasn't in the same momentum that I had before the injury. I played with lots of niggles and it hampered me a little bit but on the whole I was happy with the first season."
Adapting to the Championship
Gray acknowledged the difficulty of the Championship, especially after returning to England. "It's my first season back in England and the Championship is a very difficult league. We were successful in many ways. We didn't get promoted, I think that's the main goal for the club, and hopefully we can look back on things we did last year and improve in many ways." He scored memorable long-range goals against Watford and Southampton in December but is now focused on adding more "scruffy goals" to his tally. "Those goals are nice for the highlight reel but for me it's scoring more tap-ins and stuff like that to add to my goal tally and help the team more. That's my game, everyone knows what I like to do, but there's still lots of areas for improvement in terms of varying my game. The Championship is a bit different. Every game is different so it's about adapting to the circumstances of the game. I will focus on being as fit as I can and doing what I do best."
Pre-Season Promise
With a solid pre-season behind him, Gray is aiming to hit the ground running in the 2026/27 Championship season. His early performances in friendlies have shown promise, and he is determined to help Birmingham City achieve their primary goal of promotion.
