A debutant team (Fagiano Okayama), the return one of the most followed teams in the country (Shimizu S-Pulse), eight new head coaches, and the continuous development of the stars of the future. The J1 League surely doesn’t want to disappoint us in 2025! And to introduce this new season, “The Market Report” is back and the names excluded are of certain relevance:
- Ryuga Tashiro has been a favourite of this page, and he’s now joining Albirex Niigata. Who are risking a lot this season, but Tashiro might be a bargain in the no. 1 spot.
- Ryuho Kikuchi hasn’t been too present in the back-to-back titles of Vissel Kobe, but we already outlined a few years ago how strong and capable he could be – Machida Zelvia are eager to find out.
- Kento Misao hasn’t been successful in Europe, but Kashima Antlers are more than happy to welcome him back from Belgium.
- Speaking of Antlers, it’s a silent acquisition, but Ryuta Koike from Marinos could be a nice add to expand rotations.
- Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo are starting from scratch, and Daiki Suga is one of many who left this Winter – he signed for Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
- Tatsunari Nagai couldn’t be in the Top 10 here, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the former FC Osaka keeper would become the starter at Shonan Bellmare.
- Speaking of keepers, we couldn’t put Ryosuke Kojima here, but his move to Reysol was both surprising and it might move the needle for Kashiwa – we already explained why in 2023.
- To close it all, Kaili Shimbo was a commodity after his year at Renofa Yamaguchi – and the son of former J.Leaguer Hayuma Tanaka will face his maiden J1 campaign with newly-promoted Yokohama FC.
But let’s go through the Top 10 transfers we’ve found from this Winter.
10. Shinnosuke Hatanaka | Yokohama F. Marinos » Cerezo Osaka
Honestly, we’re really curious. Giving how Arthur Papas was in the Marinos’ technical staff when Hatanaka peaked and Marinos won their first title of their “Aussie era” back in 2019, this could be interesting. Cerezo Osaka have still Ryuga Nishio and Ryosuke Shindo in their books, but Nishio is pretty young (23 y.o.) and Shindo hasn’t been a starter since he joined from Sapporo.
Hatanaka hasn’t exactly shone in the last years. Plus, he’s turning 30 in 2025, and he’s been injured a bit. But if Cerezo Osaka want to emerge from the grey area in which they’re, they need this kind of bets. And Hatanaka needs it too – if he can emerge as the defensive leader at Cerezo, his career will certainly benefit from a solid 2025 season.
9. Tojiro Kubo, Masaki Watai, Yoshio Koizumi | Nagoya Grampus, Tokushima Vortis, Urawa Red Diamonds » Kashiwa Reysol
Kashiwa Reysol need a reboot in terms of identity, and the Ricardo Rodríguez experience serves that kind of purpose. But to do it, you need flashy and creative players – and Reysol just let go Matheus Savio to Urawa Red Diamonds. Fear no more, though – because Kashiwa had one of the best Winter transfer window sessions of all J1 clubs, putting a lot of quality in their roster.
Speaking of that aspect, these three profiles are another bet. Tojiro Kubo was bought by Nagoya Grampus after an excellent growth in Fujieda, then loaned to Sagan Tosu, then let go. Masaki Watai knows Rodríguez because of their time in Tokushima, but his experience in Portugal wasn’t great. And Yoshio Koizumi knows him too because of their Urawa link – in fact, the Spanish head coach brought him to Saitama from FC Ryukyu.
If even two out of these three will work, it’ll be a bargain for Kashiwa Reysol.
8. Yuya Fukuda | Gamba Osaka » Tokyo Verdy
Incredible, huh? We already named him back in 2024 in our “Leaps & Renegades” report, when we pitched the idea he needed time on the field to show his talent. Three years later, Gamba Osaka are finally let Fukuda go, after more injuries, a different manager, and two more seasons. Fukuda rightfully decided to start over – and Tokyo Verdy seems a really good place to do so.
Think about it. The club had its return to J1 after more than 15 years, ended up sixth (!), and they kept basically everyone (minus Tomoya Miki, who joined Avispa, and Rikuto Hashimoto, who signed with Vissel). And Fukuda needs inspiration, look no further than Hiroto Yamami – another Gamba-based prodigy, who left on loan last year, had a wonderful season, and decided to stay in Tokyo for 2025.
7. Ataru Esaka | Ulsan Hyundai (KOR) » Fagiano Okayama
We don’t wanna be the bearer of hard news, but surely it’s going to be hard for Fagiano Okayama to retain their spot in J1. And after years as a perennial candidate for promotion from J2, they needed some expert J.Leaguers – and who better than a class player like Ataru Esaka? At almost 33 years old, the former Reysol and Urawa Reds attacking midfielder has his best days behind him, but he can still be a resource.
It was just three years ago when a brace from him granted Urawa Red Diamonds a Japanese Super Cup. But after Ricardo Rodríguez was dismissed, Maciej Skorza didn’t want him for his new course in Saitama. He went to South Korea – doing fine with Ulsan Hyundai in the first season and very well in the second one -, but now he’s back to J1 for some dizzle-and-razzle of his finest football.
6. Hiroki Akino | V-Varen Nagasaki » Avispa Fukuoka
This is probably something will come back again as a concept for position no. 4 and no. 1 of this special table, but the biggest commodity in modern J.League history are general commanders. What do we mean with that formula? Well, no. 6 or no. 4, capable of leading the squad with their charisma, but also with a certain technical level, or a solid physical anchorage on which the squad can rely on. The likes of Wataru Endo or Toshihiro Aoyama, to make it clear.
Well, Avispa Fukuoka definitely needed a new one – and they found him in Hiroki Akino, who didn’t have to move that far, since he joined from V-Varen Nagasaki. Akino was a Reysol product, and didn’t have a real chance with them. He shone at Bellmare, but his J1 years were not that great. He then moved to Nagasaki and became their anchor – but since V-Varen missed the promotion train, he’s taking with Avispa for a new experience.
5. Mateus Castro | Al-Tauwoon (KSA) » Nagoya Grampus
It’s an incredible return for one of the most appreciated foreigners that the J.League saw in the last decade. The first time, it was amazing – Mateus joined Omiya Ardija back in 2014, he played just one game with the back-then J1 club. Omiya got relegated and they got him back from Bahia after just a few months. And then Mateus just exploded into a massive players – becoming a total star in 2018, when he scored 12 goals and provided 9 assist in J2.
At that point, the Brazilian winger took his chances with Nagoya Grampus. He joined in 2019, but didn’t stay immediately – he won the J1 when he was loaned to Yokohama F. Marinos for the second part of his maiden season in Nagoya. When he came back, first Massimo Ficcadenti, and then Kenta Hasegawa made him the star of their tactical projects. Mateus won a J.League Cup in 2021, but then decided to cash in 2023, when Saudi club Al-Tauwoon knocked at his door.
In the end, Mateus basically owns his whole career to the J.League. And maybe it’s not a surprise that he’s come back – after 18 months in the Saudi Pro League, we barely saw the masterful winger we saw in Japan. Furthermore, Grampus lost in six months Yuki Soma (to Machida Zelvia), Tojiro Kubo (to Kashiwa Reysol), and they’re hoping that Tsukasa Morishima and Yuya Asano will work. Too many questions marks – they needed a certainty.
4. Satoshi Tanaka | Shonan Bellmare » Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Remember what we said about general commanders? Well, Satoshi Tanaka is turning into that – especially after being in Europe at just 20 years old, when in 2022 he signed from Shonan Bellmare for KV Kortrijk. The adventure didn’t go so well, although Tanaka experienced the Jupiler Pro League and the tough waters of the relegation race. When he came back to Japan, Shonan were still there happy to welcome him back.
In the last 18 months, Tanaka progress in his development, thanks as well to the steady hand of head coach Satoshi Yamaguchi. And even more, he found a way to be a menace offensively, scoring five goals and providing four assists in 2024. Bellmare couldn’t keep him anymore and Sanfrecce Hiroshima scooped him up – Michael Skibbe fielded him right away in the Japanese Super Cup against Vissel Kobe.
For a club who just lost the soul and floor general of the midfield, Toshihiro Aoyama, Tanaka seems a good investment. And being just 22 years old, we feel Kortrijk won’t stay as the only European experience that the young holding midfielder will have in his career.
3. Léo Ceará | Cerezo Osaka » Kashima Antlers
This is an incredible move. Not just for the size of the player and the clubs involved, but also because Léo Ceará’s trajectory itself in Japan is very bizarre. At 30 years old, the Brazilian striker was already in Japan a first time in 2016 – when he moved from EC Vitoria to FC Ryukyu, back then in J3. It was a strange experience – Ceará scored just twice in 23 games, and then returned to Brazil.
Vitoria was always the club he was mostly attached too, but Ceará ended up even in the third Brazilian division before finding a certain rhythm. At 24 years old he had his first season of double-digits in terms of scoring, in Série B. For two years, he was unstoppable, and then joined Yokohama F. Marinos in 2021. In two years, he scored 21 goals and won the J1 title, but he wasn’t the clear starter – something that came with the move to Osaka.
Cerezo Osaka literally hang in there because of his goals – 33 in two seasons. But Cerezo ended up ninth and tenth, far away from the top. That’s why Leo Ceará joined Kashima Antlers – and now he’ll have Yuma Suzuki as a partner upfront, plus Toru Oniki on the bench. Ceará scored 54 goals in 129 J1 matches until now – we wouldn’t be surprise to see him reach 100 by 2028.
2. Park Iru-gyu | Sagan Tosu » Yokohama F. Marinos
We talked how much of a problem the goalkeeping position has been for Yokohama F. Marinos. They went through a very roallercoaster-ish 2024, having to change head coach, reaching anyway the AFC Champions League final (and losing against Al-Ain), plus having anyway Anderson Lopes as the top-scorer of the J1 League, despite finishing just ninth on the table.
And if new head coach Steve Holland will be waited by a certain task, surely the return of Park Iru-gyu will help. Park has been already with Marinos from 2019 to 2021, winning the J1 League title under Ange Postecoglou, who preferred him to club legend Hiroki Iikura after a first year where the sweeper-keeper experiment didn’t go so well for Iikura. Park just came from J3 side FC Ryukyu, but he won the title as the starting no. 1.
He then left after just 18 months in an exchange to get Yuto Takaoka from Sagan Tosu, where Park ended up in October 2020. He featured there for four seasons, being the captain and showing all his skills (a call from Hajime Moriyasu wouldn’t have hurt). With Takaoka gone to the MLS, and Marinos in look of a new no. 1, Park returns to fulfil his destiny and solve all their problems.
1. Hiroyuki Mae | Avispa Fukuoka » Machida Zelvia
We were talking of general commanders in position 6 and 4, but the no. 1 deserves some attention. Machida Zelvia have been a juggernaut for two-thirds of their maiden J1 campaign, but they lost their way in the final third and they somehow snatched third and an ACL Elite spot despite slowing down a lot. That’s because they were missing something in terms of experience and charisma.
That something might come in the form of Hiroyuki Mae, who just joined from Avispa Fukuoka. Mae had a peculiar career in his youth – he comes from Sapporo, he grew up in Hokkaido Consadole’s youth ranks, and even won the J2 title with them in 2016. Then he left for a loan to Mito HollyHock and never looked back, staying two years there. That’s where he met head coach Shigetoshi Hasebe, who also brought him to Avispa Fukuoka.
He’s healthy (played all but one match in the last four years of J1!), he’s revered, he’s got charisma, he’s a good set piece-taker, he’s won a J.League Cup with Avispa, and he decided to move on – while Hasebe went to Frontale. Zelvia needed someone new in the middle, since savvy Hokuto Shimoda is turning 34 this season. Mae will be fundamental if Zelvia want to go even closer to the heights of 2024.
That’s the last article of our pre-seasonal coverage for the J1 League. More articles will come out in these days, but about the top-flight you can also read about the six managers to watch (here) and the rise of Shonan Bellmare’s head coach, Satoshi Yamaguchi (here).
[…] That’s the second article around the J2 League coverage – if you wanna read about the possible troubles at Mito HollyHock, just click here. And if you’re curious around the Market Report from the J1 League, click here. […]