Birmingham will be aiming to avoid another relegation dogfight after the last two seasons have ended that way.

Monk will want to make his mark on this team because he has only been in charge for the past few months, and hasn't had the chance to use a transfer market to make the signings he believes are needed.

His time has been successful so far because he steered them away from relegation with five wins in the last 10 games. However, this squad needs improvements and Monk will have ambitious aims, so he needs financial backing from the owners to fulfil that.

Here are four players he realistically could bring in this summer, then, as the Blues look to have a brighter 2018/19...

Gunnarsson is set to leave Cardiff in the summer even though they just got promoted, which even surprised Neil Warnock. He would be a good player to bring in to strengthen the Blues because of his defensive contributions, work-rate and general ability to break up opposition attacks and carry his team up the pitch.

The Icelandic international provides the necessary winning mentality and determination to improve this team physically and mentally, which they will need if they want to be more ambitious in where they finish in the league table.

Henriksen has been at Hull for nearly two years and has gradually improved during that time as he has got used to English football as well as generally developing. However, he only has one year remaining on his contract, according to TransferMarkt, so the Tigers might be willing to cash in.

He would be an excellent defensive midfield option to bring in to improve the first-team while also adding depth to a key area. Maikel Kieftenbeld has done well in that role this season, but Henriksen would be an upgrade from which Monk can build his team around.

McBurnie only has one year left on his contract, so he could be moving in the summer. He is likely to generate plenty of interest due to his promising performances with Barnsley this year. However, Birmingham should try and secure his services because they need an improvement in forward areas.

The Scottish international is versatile because he can also play in wide areas as well as the central role. This would allow him to work well with the other options that the Blues have such as Che Adams while also providing a goal threat because he has nine goals with the Tykes this season.

McCormack is currently at local rivals Aston Villa, but he is an unpopular figure due to a complete breakdown in relationship between him and Steve Bruce which led to him being loaned to Australian side Melbourne City. Therefore, they would be likely to sell him to whoever, even Birmingham, due to this.

He would be a risky signing, but he is proven at this level due to scoring 66 league goals over the course of three seasons between 2013 and 2016 at two separate clubs. McCormack could be a cheap way for Monk to significantly improve the attacking threat of his team because it's a key area that they are failing in currently.