Tomoki Iwata is entering the defining period of his Birmingham City career. Signed in the summer of 2024 on the same deadline day Blues broke their transfer record for Jay Stansfield, Iwata was a more exciting capture for the club's recruitment team. Everyone knew about Stansfield, but few had heard of Blues' new Japanese midfield maestro. The recruitment team were extremely pleased with themselves for securing Iwata on the cheap and convincing him that Blues could journey from League One to the Premier League during his three-year contract.
Two years on
Two years have passed, and Iwata will soon enter the final 12 months of that contract with a very clear objective: promotion to the Premier League. Twelve months ago, in a quiet corner of the ICC Building in Birmingham, a laser-focused Iwata made that abundantly clear. "It's not just going up to the Championship, but going up to the Premier League – and also to play well in there – is my aim. There's more to come."
Can Blues achieve promotion?
The question now is whether Blues can win promotion to the top flight at the second attempt, and whether Iwata can play a central role. Answering the first part isn't simple. No one truly knows what level of competition awaits Blues next season. Working in their favour is the continuity in their squad and the fact that all their key players, including Iwata, have now played a season in the Championship. However, on paper, it is nigh-on impossible to envisage Blues boasting a squad stronger than the three relegated clubs: West Ham, Burnley, and Wolves. They will all be boosted by hefty parachute payments, and Wolves have already signed Kieran Trippier and Raul Jimenez, highlighting the gulf in finances. Teams in receipt of parachute payments don't always win – look at Coventry City – but their chances of success are higher by design. Blues will need to recruit smartly this summer, address weaknesses in defence and attack, and hit the ground running while those relegated clubs adjust to Championship life.
Iwata's role under Davies
In the case of Iwata, it's difficult to see him not playing a starring role while Chris Davies is at the helm. Davies has enormous faith in Iwata, who played in more Championship matches for Blues last season than any other player. Only skipper Christoph Klarer played more minutes than Iwata (3,818) in the Championship for Blues. The 29-year-old's ability to play in two positions made him almost undroppable. Davies rowed back on his statement in early April that Iwata is 'now a right-back who can play in midfield' by using him exclusively in midfield during the closing weeks of the season. You can bet Davies will use Iwata prominently again, be it in defence or midfield.
Availability and professionalism
His availability record is impressive too. Iwata has played 94 matches in his two seasons with Blues and can often be seen stretching before and after matches. Davies once revealed that Iwata even stretches on the team bus. It should come as no surprise to learn that Iwata, ever the professional, has been using the gym at Blues' training ground to prepare for the start of pre-season. By now he has nothing to prove, and he will go down as one of the best signings of the Knighthead era, but Iwata will want to finish the job.
He joined Blues to reach the Premier League, so the final year of Iwata's contract has plenty riding on it. Do you think Iwata should be a mainstay in the Blues team next season? Have your say in the comments.
