After 13 years, it’s time to move backwards for the J2 League: for the 2024 season, the second division will be back to 20 teams, which will shorten the calendar and it’ll give us a fairer comparison towards J1 League. To put it in perspective: the last time J2 had 20 teams, FC Tokyo won the double (they won the league and the Emperor’s Cup in a whole-J2 final), Sagan Tosu got promoted, and Kataller Toyama were still in J2.
To introduce this new, marvellous season, “The Market Report” is back for 2024 and the names excluded are of certain relevance:
- Blaublitz Akita have always relied on the defensive stability to make it, and Kota Muramatsu joining from V-Varen Nagasaki makes no difference. Every little add helps Ken Yoshida in retaining the category.
- Iwaki FC have lost both Ryo Arita (to Montedio Yamagata) and Hiroto Iwabuchi (to Fagiano Okayama). They need goals – and Keito Buwanika from JEF United Chiba is facing a “make it or break it” season. We hope it’s gonna be the latter.
- Speaking of players leaving V-Varen Nagasaki, Koya Okuda is a curious case – he came through Mito HollyHock, we were hoping for better results, but now he’s joining Tochigi SC. But the old version of himself could be the difference between a safe season and the danger of relegation.
- If we look only at his value, Yuya Oki moving from Kashima Antlers to Shimizu S-Pulse could have a been great news for all parties involved. Especially for the player, put on the bench after a promising season under head coach Zago. Problem? S-Pulse have already captain Shuichi Gonda and fan-favourite Togo Umeda, will it be the right fit?
But let’s go through the Top 10 transfers we’ve found from this Winter.
10. Yuma Funabashi | Nagano Parceiro » Thespa Gunma
The rise continues for Yuma Funabashi, one of the few positive notes from last disastrous season at Nagano Parceiro. While the club folded and got only mid-table – missing another promotion chance -, the wing-back showed his range of runs, wonder goals, and immense stamina. Something that Nagano hasn’t exploited enough, but that will be crucial for a club like Thespa.
Funabashi had followed Yuki Richard Stalph from his rookie years in Yokohama with YSCC to Nagano, where Parceiro looked into a revolution after a terrible 2021. He’s ductile, he’s healthy, he had a wonderful 2023 – five goals and four assists -, and at 26, he’s ready for the next step.
9. Atsuki Satsukawa | Kagoshima United FC » Oita Trinita
Speaking of interesting full-backs, the whole career of Atsuki Satsukawa is following the right path. Two seasons with Kamatamare Sanuki, tasting the J3 League. Then two years in Kagoshima, playing for bigger goals and promotions. And Satsukawa comes at the right moment, since Oita lost both Keita Takahata (to Júbilo Iwata) and Kazuki Fujimoto (to Machida Zelvia).
There’s also a past of players succeeding in Kyushu and switching from KUFC to Oita Trinita – if you someone screams the name of Noriaki Fujimoto, it has the right to do so (and his story is always fascinating). Last but not least, Tomohiro Katanosaka is back in Oita to rebuild a miracle – and his first attempt started in 2015 from unknown players like Satsukawa himself.
8. Yuki Aida | Vanraure Hachinohe » Renofa Yamaguchi
Vanraure Hachinohe have become a sort of cult discovering site, where someone might find hidden gems for their squads – whether you’re in J3 or J2. Under the guidance of legend Nobuhiro Ishizaki, Hachinohe reached seventh in 2023, which is a massive results. Among the protagonists of this run, there was Yuki Aida.
Renofa Yamaguchi are not exactly in heaven at the moment – they’re stagnating, they effectively faced relegation back in 2020 (but those were suspended at the time), and they’re mildly surviving. Adding players like Aida – with Ryo Shigaki heading the team – might be a help towards avoiding the worst and a return to J3.
7. Renato Augusto & Naoto Misawa | Shimizu S-Pulse & Kyoto Sanga » Ventforet Kofu
This could go south VERY soon if health is not helping. Ventforet Kofu took a gamble and it’s a good one – because if this works, this double bet could become a bargain worth a playoff spot. Naoto Misawa is the simpler case – the former Kyoto Sanga was improving a lot, scoring screamers and free kicks for YSCC and Gainare… until he ruptured his ACL. He played just 13 games in all competitions in the last two years – it’s now or never for his career.
And this goes as well – and maybe even further – for Renato Augusto. We probably forgot by now the impact he had for Shimizu S-Pulse when he arrived to Japan. He was scoring over head kicks, defending the central midfield like a monster, and then he injured himself. He played just twice last year – Kofu is the last stop of this 32 years old in his research of a relaunch.
6. Ryota Takada | Blaublitz Akita » Vegalta Sendai
Among the few highlights from Blaublitz Akita in 2023, Ryota Takada was certainly among them. He featured only twice with Akita in 2022, but his minutes radically rose in the season after, providing also four assists. With club legend Koji Hachisuka leaving – and actually taking the opposite route, joining Blaublitz from this year -, Takada will find minutes from the start.
After two struggling years in J2, Vegalta Sendai needed as well some new heroes – and Tanaka could be among them.
5. Gabriel Xavier | CHAPECOENSE (BRA) » Fagiano Okayama
Oh my gosh, this could have been a number 9 or a number 2 option. It’s truly hard to envision the condition of Gabriel Xavier, who’s been one of the best foreigners who has joined a Japanese team in the last decade. He did so well with Nagoya Grampus, and he performed decently at Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. But playing under Takeshi Kiyama won’t be the same of being under Kazama or Petrovic.
Tough to say where Okayama will be without some historical faces, having lost as well Kodai Sano (to NEC Nijmegen) and Stefan Mauk (to Adelaide United). But can you imagine Gabriel Xavier orchestrating the offensive with super-warped winger around him?
His stint at Chapecoense wasn’t great, but he’s just 30 and we kinda hope that he’ll make neutral fans fall in love with his skills.
4. Chihiro Kato & Ryoma Kida | Vegalta Sendai » Montedio Yamagata
Montedio Yamagata are facing another reshuffle, which is normal for them. They kept two of the most important pieces: one on the bench (Susumu Watanabe is confirmed), one in goal (Masaaki Goto stayed). They lost Tiago Alves, Dellatorre, Hiroki Noda, Ibuki Fujita, Taiki Kato… but they’ve done their job in bringing new profiles to the North. And among them, the wingers department is crucial.
Unfortuantely Naohiro Sugiyama is “just” on loan from Gamba Osaka, but Ryoma Kida and Chihiro Kato will expand possibilities for Watanabe, who coached Kato in Sendai. Actually the wingers are even too many – but can you be sure about it in a 38 games-season and with the style Montedio have developed? If Kida and Kato do their job, we’ll surely see Yamagata back in playoffs contention.
3. Ryo Kubota | FC Gifu » Ehime FC
Kubota showed already encouraging signs in 2022, when FC Gifu was a gathering of collection cards not well put together. If possible, his 2023 was even better – nine goals, six assists, and the feeling that the squad was on his shoulders on certain days. Kubota couldn’t stay for a third full season in this mess, so he opted for a move above, joining Ehime FC.
That might be a right move to build an ascent towards J1. Ehime doesn’t attract big players, but they’ve done solid moves last Winter – including retaining Ishiura from Verdy, and a couple of loans that might extend options for Ishimaru on the bench. Kubota will be that X-factor that can gift 5-6 points throughout the season by himself. And when you have to retain your place in J2, 5-6 points can be a lot.
2. Kaito Mori & Solomon Sakuragawa | Kashiwa Reysol & JEF United Chiba » Yokohama FC
These are the kind of arrivals that wins you promotion and high positions. After suffering for goals last year (due to Koki Ogawa’s departure), Yokohama FC have found not one, but forwards that together might provide not just goals, but also different options in different games. But their stories might not be further apart – because Kaito Mori and Solomon Sakuragawa are divided by just one year of age, but their careers have been different.
We talked about Sakuragawa (a class 2001) as a possible future option for the national team and we don’t shy (yet) from that forecast. Sure, his season at Fagiano Okayama slumped and ended up scoring less than 2022, but the potential is there. And speaking of strikers leaving the Chiba Prefecture, the deal for Mori (2000) looks bogus for Kashiwa: Reysol let him go after 13 goals in a sterile team like Vortis and with a lot of team sniffing around for Hosoya… that might be one of the dumbest calls we’ve ever seen.
1. Akiyuki Yokoyama | Fujieda MYFC » JEF United Chiba
Can you lose the best player you have in your squad and find a replacement who could potentially be even better than him? If you’re JEF United Chiba in the last Winter transfer market window, the answer might be a resounding “yes”. After a few years spent in Chiba, Tomoya Miki decided it was right to move on – and join Tokyo Verdy in J1. But JEF found a valuable no. 10 in Akiyuki Yokoyama.
It took a long time for Yokoyama to emerge – despite joining Fujieda MYFC back in 2020, he featured just six times in the first two years. It took new coach Daisuke Sudo to see him emerge and flourish, bringing to the pitch 13 goals and eight assists. He racked up 14 points contribution as well in 2023, in J2 this time. And when JEF United Chiba called him last Winter, he said yes to a move.
Yokoyama turns 27 in March, but sometimes it’s about taking the right wave. Sure, he’ll be tested to play outside of Sudo’s system, but he’s talented enough. Will he cope with the pressure of bringing JEF back to J1? Will he perform right away? All questions to which our answer would be “yes”. And of course, a talented player like him could have been only a piano player in his free time.
That’s all for J2 League – the pre-season coverage ends here, with two articles still to read about Yokohama FC’s chances in 2024 (here) and Tadahiro Akiba’s cult figure in the league (here).
J1 will be completed soon, but if you wanna see as well how J3 League teams have handled their business last Winter, please read more here about the Top 10 Winter transfers.
[…] articles will come in these days, you can always recover “The Market Report” for J2 League (here) and J3 League (here), which we published throughout […]