Kyogo exploits v Huddersfield Town have got Birmingham City fans talking | OneFootball

The Japanese forward hit a brace in Blues' first pre-season outing against the Terriers

Birmingham City will be hoping the 2026/27 Championship season is one which brings about a much more sustained promotion push under the management of Chris Davies, in what will be the 41-year-old's third season as manager at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

After being appointed by Knighthead Capital Management in June 2024, the former Tottenham Hotspur assistant coach has overseen plenty of change both on and off the pitch, and whilst his first season in the West Midlands saw Blues break a plethora of records in League One, the 2025/26 Championship campaign was one of extremely mixed fortunes for the club.

Having splashed a club-record fee to sign Jay Stansfield from Fulham on a permanent basis the previous summer, Birmingham marked their return to the second tier with another high-profile recruitment drive 12 months ago, before conducting yet another major squad reshuffle in January after an inconsistent first half of the season.

As a result of the dealings which were sealed last summer, many outsiders believed Davies' side had the ability to push for a second successive promotion from the third tier to the Premier League, but that proved not to be the case, even if a 10th-placed finish was still the club's best in 10 years.

Heading into the new season, the Blues boss has hinted at what transfer business needs to be done after the permanent signing of Jhon Solis and the acquisition of Dael Fry on a free transfer, whilst some will hope for a much more successful season from Kyogo Furuhashi, and the Japanese striker has already shown signs of that in pre-season against Huddersfield Town.

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Indeed, Kyogo was signed from Stade Rennais last July in a deal reportedly worth up to £10m on a three-year contract after failing to aclimatise at Roahzon Park.

As such, many were expecting the 23-time international to reach the goalscoring heights he'd showcased at Celtic, where he notched 85 goals in 165 games.

However, that pressure clearly proved to be a burden on the 31-year-old, who scored just three times in all competitions against Sheffield United, Cambridge United and Sheffield Wednesday, before seeing his campaign curtailed in April through a shoulder injury.

Yet, after undergoing surgery, the forward was on target twice in the final five minutes against the League One side in the Algarve, with both goals being provided by his compatriot, Kanya Fujimoto, who only played 45 minutes of league football last term himself.

The first of his double was a close-range header, before the latter was a neat finish after being sent through by Fujimoto, with the likes of Jay Stansfield and Marvin Ducksch not featuring due to injuries or selection decisions.

Birmingham City fans are hopeful Kyogo can turn things around in 2026/27 Championship season

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Kyogo's double in the 3-1 success came after Demarai Gray had opened the scoring on the half-hour mark, and unsurprisingly, the forward's brace generated plenty of responses from Bluenoses who were in Portugal, or watching back at home.

One supporter issued the rather lengthy verdict of: "He looks really sharp. His movement has been really good this second half. There was no way his offside goal was offside either, so he should have 3. Obviously a pre-season kick about, but his first touch looks good & his finishing neat."

In a rather tongue-in-cheek response, another Bluenose stated: "Golden boot pending, Japanese Messi."

One fan was clearly impressed, and believes Kyogo will be worth keeping in the squad, saying: "We’ve gotta keep him. He will light it up next season."

Another Blues fan then gave a rather bold claim: "Kyogo will be our top goal scorer this season you watch. Redemption time."

And, although pre-season is said to not mean an awful amount compared to when competitive action commences in just under one month's time, there was plenty of love for fellow Japanese playmaker, Fujimoto, who was rarely seen last term, with one supporter saying: "Kyogo and Kanya have both arrived KRO."

Another responder said: "So so pleased for Kyogo and Kanya. Feel this could be their season."