It’s been only a few weeks since our mention to the transfer of Kota Takai from Kawasaki Frontale to Tottenham Hotspur. In the end, the piece served more the purpose of underlining how transfers are changing in terms of profitability for Japanese clubs and how this will impact the J.League in the next future. But Takai’s move to London means also another thing: the player took the conscious choice of picking a big stage with the chance of possibly losing one spot
Yeah, because the question is: how much Takai will actually play with Tottenham? He’s been left out from the UCL squad, and there are a lot of games to play in England, but surely it’ll take some time for him to enter the rotations under head coach Thomas Frank. And if so, that could put in jeopardy his spot into the Japan squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. And many other Japanese players picked moves to a new destination surely with that in mind.
In this Summer, we’ve seen J.Leaguers leaving the country for Europe; we’ve witnessed other Japanese players already in the Old Continent picking new clubs. And we saw as well some of them giving up (or being forced to) the chance of moving, maybe because they like their current situation in the club they’re in. Since Summer is over, we thought of putting together those moves, which reverberations they might have and some special thoughts for a few players.
The J.League graduates
Several J. League talents moved from Japan to Europe (although personally I would have expected some different names). Taishi Brandon Nozawa (22 years old), but he had already so many pro games under his belt between FC Tokyo U-23, the 18 months-loan to Iwate Grulla Morioka, and his growth within FC Tokyo (the club which raised him). He’s now moved to Belgium and joined Royal Antwerp, where he’s poised to start in order to book a spot for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Alongside him, there’s another Japanese player who moved there: Yuto Tsunashima (24) has been a real surprise for his growth (he reminded me the sudden rise of Yamashita back in 2014), scoring goals and being a defensive and motivational leader for Tokyo Verdy. He grew quickly into this role, considering that he had a university stint with the Kokushikan University before turning pro. Like Nozawa, he opted for the leap in Belgium, starting right away.
Speaking of defenders who signed for Belgium sides, another one left Tokyo: Seiji Kimura (24), surprisingly left FC Tokyo after a few years where he played for their U-23 side in J3 and had several loans (Kyoto Sanga, SC Sagamihara, Montedio Yamagata, Sagan Tosu). He joined Westerlo, while another compatriot – Taisei Abe (21) – left V-Varen Nagasaki to move to Switzerland, where he signed for Luzern on loan with an option to buy.
Furthermore, Junnosuke Suzuki (22) is another gem from Shonan Bellmare who left Kanagawa to move to Europe. He signed for FC Copenhagen, and he’ll have the luxury of playing in the UEFA Champions League, since the Danish champions knocked out FC Basel in the process. And even midfielders like Sota Kawasaki (24), the captain of Kyoto Sanga, left Japan to join Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga.
You have to mention also Shin Yamada (25). Grown into the youth ranks of Kawasaki Frontale, the striker cemented himself as the key-option for them in the last 18 months, especially when Leandro Damião left Japan. He scored 19 goals in 38 league games in 2024, and he struggled a bit more this season, but definitely something interesting is cooking in there – he joined Celtic FC, continuing the Japanese tradition in Glasgow.
You might notice we let Kota Takai and his passage from Kawasaki Frontale to Tottenham Hotspurs slide, but that’s only because we had already majorly talked about Takai and the impact of his transfer – can you imagine 10 years ago Frontale cashing 7.5M of euros for two transfers? Big steps into the right direction.
The European movements
Then a lot of players were expecting also to move internally in Europe, signing for bigger clubs, and that’s where premises have been kept. Starting from the defence, where regulars national team members have moved into several directions.
Ayumu Seko left Switzerland and Grasshoppers for Le Havre in Ligue 1; Koki Machida is unfortunately injured and with no return date, but he joined Hoffenheim in Bundesliga after a good stint with Union St-Gilloise. Yukinari Sugawara avoided a year on the sidelines and joined Werder Bremen on loan from Southatmpton, keeping his World Cup roster chances alive. But the two most important signings both in this department went to the Netherlands.
Firstly, an easier one: Tsuyoshi Watanabe made his third European team. After playing for FC Tokyo, he moved to Belgium back in 2022, signing for Kortrijk. A good stint proved to be a leap towards Gent, where he became the captain. And now Watanabe moved to Feyenoord, where unfortunately he won’t play any UEFA Champions League, but he made already a name for himself with a brace against Fenerbahce (and he’ll be reunited with Ayase Ueda).
And then there’s Ko Itakura, who almost became a case this Summer. It seemed clear he was going to leave Gladbach after three years. There were rumours of him joining Eintracht Frankfurt or Fiorentina, but then Itakura moved to the Netherlands and became the first Japanese player to ever feature for AFC Ajax. It’s a return to the Eredivisie, since Itakura featured for three years with FC Groningen back in the past.
In the midfield, several movements happened. Joel Chima Fujita left Belgium and St. Truiden to sign for St. Pauli in the Bundesliga. The German league will feature also another Japanese in Freiburg, since Yuito Suzuki left Denmark and Brondby after a couple of solid seasons. Furthermore, Ryoya Morishita found his way out from Poland after a good stint with Legia Warsaw and joined Yuki Ohashi at Blackburn Rovers.
Speaking of over 30, Junya Ito left Stade Reims after the relegation to Ligue 2 and a strange Japan Tour to come back to Belgium and return to Genk. Disappointed after a terrible six months-stint with Rennes in Ligue 1, Kyogo Furuhashi as well decided to come back to old habits and come back to the UK, this time featuring for Birmingham City, newly-promoted into the Championship (and where Japanese players Tomoki Iwata and Kanya Fujimoto are already there).
But the two biggest moves were definitely happening in the Bundesliga. Ritsu Doan had a wonderful time in Freiburg, but it was time to leave – and he decided to join Eintracht Frankfurt for 21 million. A solid choice, since it’ll provide UEFA Champions League time. And speaking of Bundesliga movements, despite Holstein Kiel went down, Shuto Machino had a double-digits season of goals, so he rightfully earned a move to Borussia Mönchengladbach for 8 million.
The possible misses
There are then the possible misses – the players who could have been on the move. Starting from the J. League: I’m very surprised to see Mao Hosoya and Kento Tachibanada still in Japan (especially the Kashiwa Reysol striker), to the point that I’m wondering if they’ll ever leave. Same goes for Keisuke Osako, who will probably remain the back-up of Zion Suzuki and the no. 1 at Sanfrecce Hiroshima. There were rumours about Riku Handa as well, but no moves from Gamba Osaka for now.
Then you have the ones who could have pushed from a transfer being already in Europe. Four names above everyone else:
- Kaishu Sano had a wonderful season at Mainz 05, and it’s okay to stay, but there were rumours around him joining a higher club.
- Keito Nakamura got relegated with Stade Reims, but he had a better season than Junya Ito and yet he’s still in Reims. He needed to get out of there.
- Keita Kosugi showed his talent in Sweden and I was expecting a step forward to be a dark horse in the run for a spot in the roster of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- Last but not least, Koki Ogawa has already proved a lot with NEC Nijmegen, and it’s incredible to me that one put their chips on him. He’s clearly ready for the next step.
And then there are two delicate situations regarding the captains of this team. The first is the one regarding Takehiro Tomiyasu, who rescinded his contract with Arsenal in July, despite being just 26 years old. Clearly injuries have been affecting his career and condition, and that’s why he left London. But there’s no way to have a chance of being in the roster without a team to sign him. He’s now the most expensive free agent on the market, I really hope he’ll find a suitable team for letting him play.
The second situation concerns the real captain of this team, Wataru Endo. He’s been clearly appreciated by Liverpool fans, but he can not stay on the bench all the time if he’ll be the captain at the next FIFA World Cup. I understand his will to stay in Liverpool within a successful team and the appreciation over his profile, but if January comes and he hasn’t played enough, a six months-loan to a Bundesliga side might be the way to go.
