The Market Report – 2023, J2 League

The last dance: that’s the kind of title J2 League could have for 2023. It’s going to be the last season with 22 teams (finally, we would add), since from 2024 only 20 teams will be featuring. And maybe we’ll see also more relegations from next year, which would fun up the Winter transfer market even more. Meanwhile, though, we have to through these teams fighting for their own season – including the Emperor’s Cup winners.

Three Shizuoka-based side, the heavy splash on the market by Machida Zelvia, the clever operations by some clubs who needed a new start (yes, we’re talking at you, Vegalta Sendai). It’s been a Winter with less spice on the transfer market window, but that’s happened also in J1 and mostly everywhere in the world, if you exclude Premier League (who are living on a different planet).

 “The Market Report” is back for 2022 and the names excluded are of certain relevance (reminding how we tend to leave out loans), but we have to be careful at our picks. Last year we left out the MIP of the 2022 season, so… the list couldn’t include a few interesting operations:

• Hiroto Morooka is finally making the leap from J3, joining Blaublitz Akita from Fukushima United FC (although in a year where Akita are risking a lot).
• Daigo Takahashi and Erik are one of the many moves Machida Zelvia did, and we couldn’t include them because there was a more interesting one (although we wrote a profile of Takahashi two and a half years ago).
• Speaking of goals, one of the temporary heroes from J2 is back! Jefferson Baiano signed from Arraial de Cabo to join Zweigen Kanazawa.
• Despite having a good season with Yokohama FC, Zain Issaka isn’t anymore in Frontale’s plans, so he joined Montedio Yamagata to contribute to the J1 dream behind the mountains.
• Last but not least, Daiki Watari left Avispa Fukuoka and he isn’t just back in J2, but he actually rejoined Tokushima Vortis, where his career lifted off towards Sanfrecce and J1. With almost 60 goals in the second tier, he’ll be one to watch.

But let’s go through the Top 10 transfers we’ve found from this Winter.

10. Yuta Goke | Vissel Kobe » Vegalta Sendai

Strange transfer, but good potential. The career of Yuta Goke could have been different. He’s been one of the few players to come out as a youngster from Vissel Kobe’s recruiting program which didn’t involve throwing money at a former Barcelona player. He even had a solid start, finding his own pitch-time. Unfortunately, despite Vissel changing managers and players, he didn’t retain his minutes.

Nevertheless, he still has his moments and he hasn’t been tested in J2, where he could instead be a fit – take Leo Takae at Machida and Takahiro Ko at Albirex, compared to what they achieved with Gamba Osaka. Furthermore, Vegalta might need new faces in the midfield, given how Leandro Desabato was released, Shingo Tomita retired, and Wataru Tanaka returned from his loan at Renofa Yamaguchi just to leave, for good.

9. Tomoya Ando | FC Imabari » Oita Trinita

We expected a leap forward, but that’s a big one. Surely Oita Trinita won’t fight for direct promotion – although we still stand for Takahiro Shimotaira –, but that’s a potential bargain (a bit like Fagiano Okayama did with Gainare Tottori and Rikihito Inoue, then bought by Kyoto Sanga a year later). Ando was impressive with FC Imabari, in a season that went pretty well for the Ehime-based side.

Furthermore, Oita needed some new faces. Their glorious cycle ended up already with the goodbye from Tomohiro Katanosaka and the relegation from J1 in 2021, but some folks were still around. Now that even others have left – Rei Matsumoto became club ambassador, Hokuto Shimoda moved to Machida Zelvia, Yuto Misao joined Kyoto Sanga –, Ando could fit in as an added value in this new version of Trinita.

8. Juanma Delgado | Avispa Fukuoka » V-Varen Nagasaki

This move is interesting for two reasons: a) V-Varen had already a nice strikers department, but the Spaniard proved to be very good for this level; b) Juanma actually played in Nagasaki in 2018, when he was part of the squad who featured in their maiden J1 season. We would have placed even higher the move if Nagasaki didn’t already feature players like Edigar Junio and Ken Tokura.

But… Tokura is turning 37 in 2023, Junio keeps playing half the games he should due to injuries, and the most promising of all – Asahi Uenaka and his poacher instinct – actually left to join J1 defending champions Yokohama F. Marinos. With Cristiano aging as well and the downfall from last season – when V-Varen tumbled after a pre-season as a possible candidate for J1 –, every little add helps.

7. Junya Kato | Thespakusatsu Gunma » Zweigen Kanazawa

You know those silent heroes, those players who did extremely well to never play in J1 and stay forever in J2? Probably then the name of Junki Koike says something to you, but Junya Kato could be a solid heir of the Tokyo Verdy winger. First with Gainare Tottori, Kato gained his spot in J2 by signing for Thespakusatsu Gunma in 2019, hoping to go even further.

Instead, the winger stayed in Gunma, where every year he contributes to avoid relegation for the club. But Zweigen showed last year how a reshuffle of the roster could help, although the steady guide of Masaaki Yanagishita will go on also in 2023. Shu Hiramatsu and Shintaro Shimada are healthy options in J2, but with Shion Niwa leaving and Masamichi Hayashi always “poachable” by other clubs, you need an alternative.

6. Peter Utaka | Kyoto Sanga » Ventforet Kofu

The Nigerian striker has become a cult hero in J.League, but his 39 years pose some questions. Utaka has scored everyone, even last year in J1 he was decisive. But a COVID cluster at Kyoto has put him out of service, in a league where he would have scored even more. Even the Japanese Super Cup – where Kofu lost, but the striker scored – showed he still got it.

In J2, there’s no doubt he can be a factor. He scored 69 goals in the second tier and he will feature for a team where he already made the difference. Surely Ventforet considered the Nigerian striker as a resource for their ACL nights. And 10-15 goals by Utaka can make the difference between another 18-19th place or a safe mid-table year.

5. Atsushi Kurokawa | Júbilo Iwata » Machida Zelvia

As we said, Machida Zelvia really did their homework throughout the Winter, bringing in many players and Go Kuroda, the magician from Aomori Yamada High School (and Kim Myung-hwi, the architect from Sagan Tosu, is back as an assistant coach). They probably had the best Winter transfer market window among J2 clubs, but if we had to pick one move, this one is the most interesting.

The potential of Atsushi Kurokawa was well-depicted by this page already two and a half years ago, in our column “Po10tial”. Like for Takahashi, the profile is there, but he’s to come back from several missteps. The lacked move to Poland, the years spent with Omiya Ardija fighting for relegation, a discouraging management of his minutes in J1 with Júbilo Iwata – in a club that was clearly a wrong fit.

4. Kaito Chida | Blaublitz Akita » Tokyo Verdy

When Blaublitz Akita went through that amazing run in 2020 to clinch promotion from J3 to J2, a few elements emerged. Nao Eguchi was almost MVP, and now he’s off to Kamatamare Sanuki in an incredible turn of events. Yudai Tanaka was the best keeper in all three divisions and he capitalized this Winter by moving to Sanfrecce Hiroshima as a back-up of Keisuke Osako.

There was another key-element, who though – alongside Eguchi – missed the biggest chunk of the season, coming back only mid-year. Kaito Chida was the defensive anchor on whom Ken Yoshida built the defensive asset of Blaublitz. Last year, he even found a solid partner in Jurato Ikeda (but he’s gone too). Now Chida is off to Tokyo Verdy, where he could become another important asset for a surprise run at playoffs.

3. Ryo Toyama | Matsumoto Yamaga » Tokushima Vortis

Let’s start from a common ground: among minor players, the guy is a legend. A true character, a funny, but passionate lad, who gave everything for Matsumoto last year. In the beginning of the season, he was even banging winners to bring Yamaga at the top of the table. Then reality kicked in and the club lacked the pace to be a contender for direct promotion.

Nevertheless, Toyama is a ductile player, capable of playing different roles. That’s exactly what Vortis have been used to – featuring interpreters who could play basically anywhere, maybe even too much versatile! In the new course under Spanish head coach Beñat Labaien, he could fit as a “Swiss knife” for Tokushima in 2023.

2. Riku Matsuda | Zweigen Kanazawa » JEF United Chiba

After having featured defenders like Jang Min-gyu and Daniel Alves in the roster, JEF United Chiba needed a nice integration in the defensive line. Riku Matsuda has silently developed into a reliable defender for J2 level, capable of playing as center-back, but also as a right-back when needed. And JEF United Chiba – who just changed their manager – need that kind of ductility.

1. Daichi Ishikawa | Gainare Tottori » Roasso Kumamoto

He was tipped to make a leap, and that’s probably the best option Ishikawa could have picked. As much as we would like to see Kumamoto pull off another miracle, Takeshi Oki’s squad will have to rebuilt after having lost both Toshiki Takahashi (to Urawa Red Diamonds) and Naohiro Sugiyama (to Gamba Osaka). A good way to do so is finding solid players in J3, and Ishikawa proved to be one.

The former striker of Gainare Tottori had an excellent season in 2022, and Roasso are following the same route already seen with Kaito Taniguchi. With TBD Sakamoto still in the roster, they could work behind a lone no. 9 – and the growth of Yusei Toshida has been encouraging throughout 2022. Let’s say Ishikawa could contribute to a solid mid-table season.

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And that’s the closing part of the pre-season coverage for 2023 in J2 League. If you have missed the other articles, discover here why it’s a fundamental year for Montedio Yamagata or here how Shizuoka Prefecture is losing relevance after being the pinnacle of Japanese football.