Birmingham City's return to the Championship has been one of extremely mixed fortunes, with Chris Davies side still having plenty of ground to make up if they are to reach the end-of-season play-offs.
Blues' rebuilding job, bankrolled by Knighthead Capital Management, has been well-documented, praised and scrutinised in equal measure at this point.
Davies was able to return the West Midlands side to the Championship in record-breaking fashion by winning the League One title with 111 points last term, and in any normal circumstances, a position of 10th, with 53 points accrued from 38 games would be deemed satisfactory.
However, it's fair to say that expectation and investment levels at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park across the last two seasons have skyrocketed as Tom Wagner hopes to see the club back in the Premier League as soon as possible.
In the summer window, Birmingham recruited 14 new signings on a permanent or loan basis, adding to what many believed was already an extremely dependable Championship-level squad based on their performances in League One and against sides such as Fulham and Newcastle United in cup competitions in 2024/25.
However, it was clearly felt that further tweaks were needed in January, with six new faces - as well as Patrick Roberts becoming a permanent member of the squad - replacing a multitude of outgoings.
One of those six incomings came in the form of Brighton and Hove Albion's highly-rated Ghanaian winger, Ibrahim Osman, who spent the first half of the campaign with AJ Auxerre of the French Ligue 1.
And, whilst Blues' recent inconsistencies were further showcased in a 1-1 draw with Sheffield United in their most recent outing, it is fair to say that the 21-year-old continued to provide moments of spark, and those of a Seagulls persuasion will love how Davies has reflected on his stint in B9 thus far.
Chris Davies issues Birmingham City, Ibrahim Osman development admission which Brighton will love
Chris Davies, Birmingham City
Since his arrival in January, the winger, who cost Brighton £16m from FC Nordsjaelland in February 2024, has been an influential figure for Blues, well beyond his current tally of one goal and one assist in 10 Championship appearances.
The three-time international has caused plenty of havoc on the left flank due to his pace, unpredictability and directness - three aspects Davies has pinpointed when speaking about how to coach a player of Osman's ilk.
“It’s really interesting when you think of players like that and the balance between the team’s structure and their own individual profile," he said.
“I think his almost unorthodox ability… I don’t want to touch that. The way he receives the ball, the way he will try and turn, the way he uses his body, it looks scruffy but when you’re doing it all the time it’s not by accident.
“I really like that about him. I don’t want to over-coach him so he’s not got this attacking spirit because he wants to turn, he wants to run at players and take them on and I don’t want to lose that. You can almost coach them too much and they think about keeping the ball.
“We want him to take a risk. He will trip over and they will tackle him and it won’t look perfect every time, but if you’re a full-back going into a game against him, knowing the pace and unpredictability he’s got, it would be quite unnerving," the Blues boss explained.
“My job is to guide him into the structure of the team and how he can use his best qualities, then a lot of it is defensively, there is no room for manoeuvre there. It’s this is your job, this is what you need to do and this is where you need to be and he has to buy into all of that."
Blues fans, just how high is Ibrahim Osman's ceiling? Comment below!
Brighton will hope Ibrahim Osman can develop into a Premier League-level winger
Ibrahim Osman, Feyenoord
Despite not featuring for his parent club so far, Osman does have a rather impressive pedigree for a player of his age, which includes seven UEFA Champions League appearances with Feyenoord last season.
Of course, the leading qualities to succeed in divisions such as the Eredivisie and Championship compared to the Premier League are far different, but there is every chance that Osman can develop into a top-level winger.
Brighton, of course, have become synonymous with unearthing 'hidden gems' in recent times, and they will certainly be thankful to Davies if his coaching methods prove beneficial to the wide man's overall growth, which, in turn, could contribute to success for the South Coast side.