Birmingham City midfielder Tomoki Iwata was a revelation in midfield last season, after arriving from Celtic
Birmingham City's Tomoki Iwata
Birmingham City's Tomoki Iwata(Image: PA)
Birmingham City midfielder Tomoki Iwata has echoed the sentiments of Blues chairman Tom Wagner in reiterating that promotion to the Premier League is what all at the club are striving for next season - despite having only just returned to the Championship at the first time of asking.
Blues, who circled the relegation plughole for years before finally succumbing to the drop in 2024, will return to the second tier with intentions of more than just mere survival in the first season. Indeed, having broken EFL records when posting a 111-point total in League One, they are aiming to carry that momentum over to next term.
Iwata, a 2024 summer signing from Celtic, was largely excellent last year, a crucial component of Chris Davies' winning machine alongside counterpart Paik Seung-ho in midfield. He hopes for another season next year where Blues are challenging towards the top end of the table and he has been training in the off-season to best prepare himself.
"Our biggest goal is to get into the Premier League as quickly as possible," Iwata told Soccer Digest Web. "To achieve this, we need to stay in good condition so that we can always play in games and continue to evolve ourselves.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing how well the 'build-up football' style that manager Chris Davies has built up will work in the Championship.
"Birmingham is a club with a high possibility of going up. I have to play as a main player there and become a player who can show an overwhelming presence in the Championship. To do that, I want to focus on scoring, just like this season, and it will be important for me to reduce my mistakes and contribute to the team.
"My biggest goal is to become a player who people say 'Tomoki Iwata is an indispensable player for Birmingham and 'he alone can make a big difference in the results.''
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