Why Birmingham City's £17.5k-per-week arrival is frozen out and could be gone by January | OneFootball

Kanya Fujimoto arrived at Birmingham City this summer, but has found his game time to be extremely limited

Kanya Fujimoto was among the numerous recruits at Birmingham City this summer, but since his arrival, he has played just one minute of EFL Championship football, and with the January window on the horizon, an exit for the Japanese attacking-midfielder may be on the cards.

It was a busy summer for Birmingham City as head coach Chris Davies sought new recruits to prepare his side for the trials and tribulations of EFL Championship football this season.

The likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Marvin Ducksch, Demarai Gray, Lewis Koumas, and Patrick Roberts were all brought in to revamp the Blues' attacking options following their record-breaking 111-point season in League One.

Amongst those arrivals was also the addition of 26-year-old Japanese attacking-midfielder Kanya Fujimoto, who joined the club from Portuguese top-flight side Gil Vicente on £17.5k-per-week, according to Capology, following the expiry of his deal.

Fujimoto scored five and grabbed six assists in 30 top-flight league matches last season, and upon his arrival at St Andrews, it was hoped that he could continue his fine form from Portugal to the Midlands.

However, that has yet to transpire this season, and despite a recent slight upturn in Birmingham's form, Fujimoto has remained on the periphery of the squad, in what has been a disappointing move so far.

Kanya Fujimoto has struggled for minutes under Chris Davies at Birmingham City this season

Having made 181 appearances across five years with Gil Vicente, scoring 15 and grabbing 24 assists, Fujimoto has, much to the confusion of many, massively struggled for game time since his arrival this summer.

The former Japanese youth international has failed to appear in eight of Birmingham's 17 matchday squads in the league this season, whilst only racking up one minute of football in the Championship, coming at home to Sheffield Wednesday.

Fujimoto has failed to break into Davies' preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, with each of Keshi Anderson, Kyogo Furuhashi, Tommy Doyle, and Jay Stansfield all being preferred in the number 10 role of the Japanese this season.

He started in Birmingham's 1-0 home defeat to Port Vale in the EFL Cup back in August, but was hooked at half-time after a poor performance, and has failed to start a match in any capacity since.

As each game passes and Fujimoto fails to either make the matchday squad or be off the bench, the summer switch looks all the more perplexing, and with the January window on the horizon, should his game time not increase, a move, loan or permanent, may be sanctioned.

With Fujimoto clearly out of favour at St Andrews, it would not be surprising to see him move on this winter.

No concrete links to any side have been reported as yet, but should his game time remain limited over the next month, it seems like almost a formality that he will spend the second half of the campaign away from the club.

Fujimoto signed a three-year deal with the Blues upon his arrival, and at 26, he ought to be entering the prime of his career, so for him to be rotting on the bench and out of the squad entirely seems counter-productive for everyone involved.

It's unclear what sort of stance Davies and the club will take on Fujimoto's situation this January, but they will likely be as equally disatisfied with how the transfer has transpired.

A loan move seems the most likely option as the January window approaches, and should his game time remain unchanged by then, it would not be a surprise to see him leave in one capacity or another.