Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on the signing of Japanese defender Kota Takai after agreeing a £5m fee with Kawasaki Frontale.
The 20-year-old centre-back has been capped four times by his country and is being tipped to compete for a place in Thomas Frank’s squad next season.
Takai is set to become Tottenham’s second recruit since winning the Europa League, following Mathys Tel’s £30m move from Bayern Munich.
The i Paper spoke to Japanese football expert Dan Orlowitz for the lowdown on one of the country’s brightest young talents.
Japan’s ‘cream of the crop’
Despite his youthfulness, Takai has already played 78 times for Kawasaki Frontale, one of Japan’s most successful clubs.
He established himself as a first-team regular as a teenager, which is relatively uncommon in Japanese football and a testament to his early promise.
“Of all the really good Japanese players you’ve seen in recent years, a lot of them have come through the university system and then gone pro and then moved to Europe. [Brighton’s Kaoru] Mitoma is the big example,” Orlowitz explains.
Takai has progressed to the major leagues quicker than most.
“He’s a fantastic player, especially for his age. It’s not often in Japan that you get a player of 19 or 20 who’s that ready,” Orlowitz adds.
“I think Spurs fans should be excited, it’s a great signing. I think that Takai is the cream of the crop as far as domestic players who are ready to go to Europe.”
Quick, aggressive, but still learning
So, what sort of defender are Spurs getting?
“He’s got the speed considering his size and the kind of aggression that you want to see, but don’t necessarily see all the time from Japanese centre-backs,” Orlowitz says.
Takai held his own against Cristiano Ronaldo and Jhon Duran when Kawasaki beat Al-Nassr 3-2 in the Asian Champions League in April, with neither striker on the scoresheet.
Nevertheless, the jump from the J-League to the Premier League is a big one.
“I think that the raw materials are there,” Orlowitz says.
“Obviously, he is going to have to get used to the physicality and the speed of the Premier League. That’s going to take time.
“He’s not great in the air; he’ll have to work on that. He’s good at duels, good on the ground, but he’s going to have to assert himself and not get pushed around. But the tool set is there.”
Spurs are also extremely well-stocked for centre-backs. Cristian Romero, Van de Ven, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies and Radu Dragusin are all in place, while Luka Vuskovic is finally available two years after joining from Hajduk Split.
The next Bergvall?
The deal for Takai is reflective of Tottenham’s strategy of acquiring top young talent from around the globe.
Of the 17 first-team players that Spurs have signed permanently since the 2023 summer transfer window, only three were aged 24 or over upon joining.
Three of the club’s four recruits last summer were teenagers, including Lucas Bergvall, who won the club’s Player and Young Player of the Season awards after establishing himself as a regular from January onwards.
Bergvall joined Tottenham from Djurgardens in Sweden and, after a tricky start, was able to adapt and flourish despite the significant step up. Spurs will hope Takai can do likewise from a similar starting point.
According to research from Opta Analyst, Japan’s J-League is the 14th strongest domestic league in the world, while Sweden’s Allsvenskan is 19th. The Premier League, meanwhile, tops the charts.
Good deal for all parties
While a £5m fee for a club of Tottenham’s resources is modest, it is a significant one for Kawasaki Frontale and Japanese football generally.
The deal will make Takai Japan’s most expensive footballing export once it has been completed.
“It shows you how undervalued Japanese players have been,” Orlowitz says.
“That’s fantastic business on Kawasaki’s part. Some amazing players have gone over [to Europe] for low transfer fees, and that’s not healthy for the J-League.
“[For Tottenham] it’s a reasonable one on someone who has the potential to be a top talent. I think the worst case is that if it doesn’t work out, they’ll at least be able to make their money back selling him on to someone else.”
A boost for Tottenham’s Japanese fanbase
Son Heung-min has flown the flag for Asian footballers in the UK during his decade at Spurs, during which time the club’s South Korean following has grown exponentially.
South Korean flags are everywhere during home games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Perhaps surprisingly, given Japan’s emergence as a footballing force this century, Kazuyuki Todai is the only Japanese player to have represented Spurs, playing just four times in 2003.
Nevertheless, Tottenham have a large and loyal fanbase in Japan. Over 54,000 fans watched them beat Vissel Kobe in a pre-season friendly in Tokyo last summer and Takai’s imminent arrival will only help boost the club’s popularity.
“Spurs have one of the biggest Japanese supporter groups among EPL clubs, possibly the biggest,” Orlowitz says.
“Spurs Japan has a really solid following, and so for them to get a Japanese player in the men’s team [Mana Iwabuchi played for the women’s side in 2023] is big.”
Discussion about this post