“Our best player” – Claim made on star Birmingham City signed from Celtic in the summer

While his deadline-day move from Celtic to Birmingham City may have gone unnoticed following Jay Stansfield’s major move to St Andrew’s, Tomoki Iwata has had a fantastic start to life in League One.

The Japanese international arrived unexpectedly, but he has quickly established himself as a regular starter in Chris Davies’ side, and Blues fans have been thrilled by what the 27-year-old has displayed thus far.

 

Despite being a defensive midfielder, Iwata has proven to be a goalscoring threat for Birmingham, having scored three times in seven League One games, the most recent being a miracle strike in a 2-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers in midweek.

While Iwata’s entrance was unnoticed, he has had no trouble adjusting to English football, and it is evident that he belongs at a higher level than League One.

 

Tomoki Iwata dubbed Birmingham City’s best player after impressive start

We asked our Birmingham City fan commentator, Mike Gibbs, to sum up Iwata’s performances this season in one word, and it’s evident that he and the rest of the St Andrew’s supporters have been quite impressed thus far.

Mike told Football League World: “My one word to characterise Iwata is fantastic.

“You look at his numbers, he was certainly player of the month in September, he played seven games and scored three goals as a deep-lying midfielder, and he immediately formed a relationship with Paik.

“I believe he entered under the radar because of Stansfield, and he’s been our greatest player to be honest. He has been just great.”

 

Tomoki Iwata looks like a serious coup for Birmingham City

It’s fair to say that few Birmingham City fans would have known much about Iwata, as the 27-year-old struggled for regular football at Celtic last season, appearing in only 24 games across all competitions, 11 of which were starts.

However, Blues manager Davies, who previously worked with Ange Postecoglou at Spurs, the man who brought Iwata to Celtic Park, would have heard positive things about the Japanese international and believed he was worth signing.

When you consider the calibre of players Birmingham City has and the money they spent in the summer, being named the club’s best player this season is no small feat, and bringing him to St Andrew’s appears to be better business with each game.

 

According to Fotmob, Iwata ranks in the top 10% of League One players in his position in several measures, including successful passes (382), pass accuracy (87.6%), goals (3), and aerial duels won (84.6%).

Birmingham have made a good start to the season, thanks in large part to Iwata’s performance, and if they get promoted to the Championship as expected, he will have little trouble adjusting to the second tier of English football.

 

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