For anyone doubting Tom Brady's influence at Birmingham City, Alex Guerrero's presence at their friendly against Solihull Moors on July 17 should tell them everything they need to know.
Forget the fact Brady attended just two fixtures last season. If Guerrero is involved then it means one thing: Brady is in this for real.
While the name will not be familiar to many fans of English football, Guerrero is well-known on the other side of the Atlantic.
Described by Brady as his 'body coach', the pair have worked together for two decades and Brady credits Guerrero with extending his NFL career beyond his 45th birthday. With Guerrero at his side, Brady won four Super Bowls and three MVP (Most Valuable Player) awards.
Yet Guerrero is a controversial figure. He was investigated by the Federal Trade Commission – a branch of the US Government – and agreed to a settlement of $65,000 (about £51,000) in 2005 that stopped him presenting himself as a doctor, claiming his products could cure cancer and concussions.
Birmingham City co-owner Tom Brady is looking to help the club hit the heights they once reached
The presence of Alex Guerrero (right), Brady's 'body coach', has shown that the NFL legend is in it for real with City
American Brady attended just two games last season as his club were relegated from the Championship
'I have tremendous belief in Alex and what he's accomplished with me,' said Brady in 2015. 'That's part of his life and that's something that happened 13 years ago.'
Guerrero also clashed with Bill Belichick, the legendary coach of Brady's NFL franchise New England Patriots, though Brady again defended Guerrero stoutly, saying in a 2015 interview that 'in the 10 or 11 years we've been working together, he's never been wrong.'
So Brady will be doing far more at Birmingham than buying a few pints for fans at The Roost near St Andrew's – as he did before the home game against Leeds a year ago.
The logo of TBRx, the fitness and performance company led by Guerrero and Brady, is on the wall of the gym and medical rooms at the training ground. In one of those areas, on the first floor, it is accompanied by a quote from Brady: 'The true competitors, though, are the ones who always play to win.'
That means no more Sundays off for the Birmingham squad. Brady believes the 24 hours that follow a game are vital and players will report to the training ground for recovery sessions on the day after every match. Those will be led by TBRx staffer Peter Cummings and his team. One of his lieutenants, Rob Brennan, conducted one-on-one fitness work with Blues forward Tyler Roberts, who was plagued by injuries last term, in Las Vegas during the close season.
'I speak to Tom regularly and he has a real passion and interest in what we do,' said manager Chris Davies. 'We have the TBRx people here and they help with recovery and preparation.
'Tom was one of the best sportsmen in the world who played until he was 45. He brings a lot of experience as a top-level athlete around nutrition, preparation, mindset and recovery.'
Chris Davies is now in charge of the side, with Brady's TBRx team helping the squad with recovery and fitness
Birmingham's training ground has been revamped, including with a new pitch that matches the dimensions of St Andrew's
The training ground has made a huge impression on potential new signings. It now has state-of-the-art pitches that match the dimensions of St Andrew's, an improved warm-up area and a revamped recruitment suite for technical director Craig Gardner and his staff. The old players' lounge has been ripped out and replaced by an enhanced medical and treatment room.
Because make no mistake: Birmingham mean business. They have spent £15m on the stadium and training facilities and appointed Chris Davies, who has worked with Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou, as manager. Davies has a simple brief – automatic promotion.
Knighthead have backed Davies in the transfer market, bringing in eight players at a cost of about £9m – a colossal sum for a third-tier club, especially in the post-Covid era. And as well as investing in the squad and the training ground, Knighthead have also given St Andrew's a serious lick of paint.
Knighthead's ultimate aim is to move Blues to a sports complex similar to Manchester City's Etihad Campus, at an estimated cost of £2-3billion, by 2029 at the earliest. The venue would have Birmingham's stadium at its heart, as well as training, academy and wider business and entertainment facilities. It is hoped this 'Sports Quarter', as officials have dubbed it, will create up to 3,000 jobs.
Knighthead's ultimate aim is to move Blues to a sport complex at an estimated cost of £2-3billion
Yet that has not stopped Knighthead going to work on the here and now. Fans who attend Saturday's season opener against Reading will notice two LED screens at either end of the stadium. The corporate hospitality facilities have had a significant upgrade, with boxes in the Gil Merrick Stand stripped out and replaced by a single room with a glass screen.
There is now a permanent fan zone in the Main Stand car park. Sure enough, Blues have sold about 18,000 season tickets and there is likely to be a full house against Reading. In recent years, the Kop and Tilton Stands have been closed due to rebuilding work, and this is the first time since 2019 that Birmingham will stand a season with their entire ground open to supporters.
'I believe this club is going to the top, with or without me,' said Davies. 'Despite relegation, I was pretty convinced of that because of the vision and support of the owners. That made me think I wanted to be the person that led this journey.
'With the opportunities I had previously, I didn't get the same feeling and the timing probably wasn't quite right. The owners have great ambition but have also proven their commitment not just to the club but to the city.
'Look at the renovation work going on at the training ground and stadium. That's unusual for a club that has just been relegated and I wanted to be part of it.
'It's hard to put a definitive destination on it but the journey is about becoming an elite club – trying to get to the top level first and then be really competitive. That's a long way away, but the ambition and possibilities are clear. Now we have to try to climb that mountain but we have a direction and belief we can go somewhere.'
Those in charge must show their judegement off the pitch can produce results on it - something that failed when Wayne Rooney was appointed as manager
However small his actual financial stake, Brady does not want to be associated with a failing project. This man is accustomed to success and while Wagner and his associates have done everything they can off the pitch to deliver it, they must now show their judgement can produce results on it – something they spectacularly failed to do last season.
With Blues sixth in the Championship in October, the board – led by chief executive Garry Cook – sacked John Eustace and appointed Wayne Rooney, promising a 'no fear' philosophy. The move proved a disaster and by the time Blues accepted the inevitable and sacked the former England captain in January, they were in a relegation battle that they would eventually lose.
It would probably have been different had Tony Mowbray, who replaced Rooney, remained in charge for the rest of the campaign. When Mowbray stepped away in February for health reasons, Blues were on the right track and would surely have avoided relegation.
But the Eustace/Rooney debacle was a mess entirely of the ownership's making. Mail Sport's exclusive story of June 24, which revealed Birmingham had asked the EFL if their clash with US-owned Wrexham could be staged in the USA, showed an alarming lack of feel for the English game. If Knighthead do not learn from these mis-steps, it will not matter how many LED screens, upgraded pitches or fancy recruitment rooms they have funded. Not even with one of the greatest athletes of his generation looking on.