Birmingham City manager Chris Davies has confirmed that Japanese midfielder Kanya Fujimoto is expected to remain with the club after being included in their 25-man squad.
Fujimoto had a challenging season previously, making only one start and accumulating 141 minutes of play across all competitions, which led to speculation about a possible departure during the summer transfer window.
Although Fujimoto impressed during pre-season, prompting discussions about his role in Davies' team, his position has since reverted to a peripheral one, especially following a disappointing performance in the Carabao Cup against Brentford last month.
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With transfer windows still open in other leagues worldwide, the player has opportunities should he seek more regular first-team football. However, Davies emphasised that, from the club’s perspective, Fujimoto remains part of Birmingham City’s plans at least until January.
“He was named in the 25-man squad with that intention,” Davies said. “I was always open with Kanya about his game time; I didn’t want to promise him things that I couldn’t deliver. It was to see and assess his options. I like Kanya, he’s a really good team player, but he hasn’t made a significant impact in competitive games.”
“The idea was to give him the confidence to be part of it, but if he felt the need to move on, we would support that. At the moment, he’s with us, and the plan is that he stays with us.”