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The future of Korea and Japan will be united in Tottenham.
Japan's Sponichi confirmed on the 24th that Kota Takai, a Japanese national defender and a player for Kawasaki Frontale, is likely to transfer to Tottenham, a prestigious club in the English Premier League (EPL). The transfer fee is expected to be 5 million pounds (about 9.2 billion won), including the bonus clause, the highest amount ever among Japanese players who have advanced overseas from the J League. A year before the 2026 North-China World Cup, the highly anticipated young center-back is challenging the best league in the world, according to the report.
Sponich said 'An agreement has already been reached between the two clubs regarding the transfer fee, and it is expected that a formal contract will be signed after a local medical test. The transfer fee is about 5 million pounds in total. Kyogo Furuhashi explained that the amount exceeds 5.4 million euros (about 8.6 billion won) when he moved from Vissel Kobe to Celtic in Scotland in the summer of 2021.
Fabrizio Romano, an expert in the European transfer market, also said Takai's transfer to Tottenham was agreed, along with comments only posted when the contract of HERE WE GO was signed.
In the transfer market this summer, Italy's Udinese, Germany's Borussia Mönchengladbach and Hoffenheim received attention, but the player himself chose to go to Tottenham. Sponich said, `Tottenham also has Korean striker Son Heung-min, so competition between Korean and Japanese players is also expected. He is the third Japanese center back to enter the EPL after Maya Yoshida and Takehiro Tomiyasu. Takai, dubbed the `treasure' of the Japanese defense, finally heads abroad with high expectations, he added.
Takai has grown steadily since joining the Kawasaki youth team at the age of 12. In February 2022, when he was in his second year of high school, he attracted attention by signing a professional contract as the youngest player in Kawasaki's history as a player under the age of 18. Making his first-team debut in the 2023 J1 League, he won the league's best young player award with two goals in 24 games in the 2024 season. He has consistently played this season and has scored two goals in 19 league games so far. In addition, he is Japan's top prospect who made his debut for the Japanese national team in September 2024 and took his first step as a member of the national team by playing in four A matches.
He has a good physical condition of 192cm and is said to have excellent pass skills like a Japanese player. He is a center back who has good aerial ball skills and scoring ability. The speed is also very good. However, he has not had much experience in the first division so far, so mistakes often occur in defensive situations. This can be overcome through growth.
Recently, Tottenham have been collecting young talents, both in Europe and Asia. Last summer, he recruited Yang Min-hyuk, who played for Gangwon FC, and this summer, he is targeting the Asian market intensively by taking Takai. Son Heung-min's future is not clear, but if Yang Min-hyuk and Takai grow well, they will be able to watch the Korean-Japanese duo playing for Tottenham.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
