Transfer targets (6 Viewers)

[AFCCOVENTRY]

Football Dreams: Growing Number of Japanese Soccer Players Set Sights on Europe

The Japanese men’s national soccer team at the 1998 World Cup in France was made up entirely of players from the domestic J. League. By contrast, the squad that went to Qatar in 2022 was dominated by players based in Europe. What has driven the continent’s rise as a destination for Japan’s top...

www.nippon.com

 

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[Covcraig@bury]

Gus Hamer

 

[SBT]

Scarlett

Captain material imo

 

[SBT]

Maybe one of the forums politics thread dorks can chip in with some expert information on US residency laws.

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He could easily get his green card and then move here for a few years. It would be straightforward for him and his family to keep hold of the green card for as long as he wants, so long as he maintains a US address, pays the requisite taxes and says the right things when he enters the country (which he’d be advised to do at least once a year or so).

Tbh he probably only got the green card to make it easier for Austin to meet the MLS roster rules, rather than any kind of American Dream on his part, and it’s very easy to keep hold of it once once you’ve got it. Rishi Sunak had one until very recently!

 

[Alkhen]

Fuck it, I've done the scouting list. In my opinion we need: 1x CM, 1x LW, 1x ST. Here are some players from the J-League that fit what we need.

Central Midfield

Kaishu Sano - 23 - Kashima Antlers - 2 full national team caps.

Elite ball winner, very good dribble and fouls won numbers too. Good with both feet which is a nice bonus. Not the most creative though. Won't play a bunch of 40-yard defense splitting passes but will drive upfield with the ball at feet which Sheaf, Eccles etc don't. Has a bit of feistiness to him as well which I like.

Has had a bit of a meteoric rise. Was playing in the 2nd division two years ago, got his move to a Top 5 club in January 2023 and has just been named in Japan's squad for the Asia Cup.



Japan is really, really good at developing central midfielders, so here are two other options past Sano:

Kuryu Matsuki - 20 - plays as an 8 in a 3-man midfield. 1 goal, 3 assists last season. Left footed. Good ball carrier and high numbers in basically all areas you want for a midfielder. Looks a real prospect.

Sota Kawasaki - 22 - plays holding midfielder. 2 goals, 1 assist last season. Does simple things very well.

Left Wing

Makoto Mitsuta - 24 - Sanfrecce Hiroshima - 2 full national team caps.

FotMob absolutely loves this bloke, he's their 5th highest rated player in the J1 League, and I can see why. He scores goals and creates them as well. Burst onto the scene with 12 goals + 14 assists in 2022, followed it up with 7 goals + 7 assists in 2023. Great chance creation numbers and he also defends from the front too. Oh and he's a high volume dribbler. Literally the complete package.

The websites say he's an attacking midfielder, but he's definitely playing left wing in some of the highlights I watched. Quality player.



Striker

Mao Hosoya - 22 - Kashiwa Reysol - 4 full national team caps, 1 goal.

Pacy striker who plays on the shoulder on the last defender. Always looking to run in behind. 14 goals in the J1 League last season, 17 in total. Has been linked with Sunderland in recent weeks. Like Sano, was also named in the Japan squad for the Asia Cup, beating out Celtic star Kyogo Furuhashi.

Get them all I love them already

 

[Calista]

Scarlett

There was a Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle parked by the Ryton entrance when I drove past earlier.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

That Finn Azaz at Plymouth looks a player. On loan from Villa.

Looks even more of one on recent evidence. Contract is up in the summer and has been playing as an 8 in a similar system to our own.

 

[Sky Blue Harry H]

Looks even more of one on recent evidence. Contract is up in the summer and has been playing as an 8 in a similar system to our own.

Just came on here to post about Azaz. Reports that Schumacher might try and get him to Stoke. You'd hope we'd be more attractive (loan, or purchase if Villa would play ball-assuming Villa would recall him from Argyle.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Just came on here to post about Azaz. Reports that Schumacher might try and get him to Stoke. You'd hope we'd be more attractive (loan, or purchase if Villa would play ball-assuming Villa would recall him from Argyle.

If we offered Villa a fee to take him now they'd probably take it. Seems the exact sort of player we should be going in for and would hopefully be a better draw than Plymouth.

I'd be tempted to test the waters with Whittaker also, he cost them £1 mill in the summer.

 

[David O'Day]

I’d take Hosoya out of that list too. We could do a Celtic and just take a few Japanese players like they seem to do… works well for them


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Celtic are looking at Hosoya so he's probably going to go to a bigger team than us

 

[Sky_Blue_Dreamer]

Big target has to be a No.8 - got no thoughts on who it might be and would likely be someone i've never heard of. I'd send Ayaro back.

After that we might look at some more winger/forwards given the change in formation. I think Al Hammadi would be a great choice here. Other options could be Millar and even though it's just from a video on here that Dukanovic interests me.

Getting O'Hare sorted is a big priority. Ideally I'd like him to sign but if that wasn't happening I could see some sort of swap deal with Burnley for Twine. If not that Azaz mentioned above could be interesting.

With that done it'd be availability on upgrading older squad members, but chances are those will be in the summer unless a really decent signing becomes available.
Fadz - would still like to see brekalo coming in even though it's not a priority at the moment. Does his agent still follow us?
Kelly - think someone like Styles would be the most likely option here.
Godden - see winger/forwards above, and hey could also be Tavares upgrades.
Moore - not a priority to replace.
Maybe look at an upgrade on Allen.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Big target has to be a No.8 - got no thoughts on who it might be and would likely be someone i've never heard of. I'd send Ayaro back.

After that we might look at some more winger/forwards given the change in formation. I think Al Hammadi would be a great choice here. Other options could be Millar and even though it's just from a video on here that Dukanovic interests me.

Getting O'Hare sorted is a big priority. Ideally I'd like him to sign but if that wasn't happening I could see some sort of swap deal with Burnley for Twine. If not that Azaz mentioned above could be

Azaz is an 8.

 

[SlowerThanPlatt]

Pereira
Rak-Sakiyi
Scarlett

that is all

If you mean Dane Scarlett he can’t play for another club this season as made an appearance for Spurs in the cup. Bit of a stupid rule really where U21 players are concerned

 

[shmmeee]

If we can spend £4-5m on a really good CM, and get a decent loan in who can play along the front line we’d be fine I reckon. Just need that bit of quality to knit everything together in the middle, someone a level above what we’ve got in terms of vision range and drive.

Out wide we’ve got Tavares, Palmer, Allen who can all play the role, another wide player on loan who can slot in at AM or ST would be perfect. Then in the summer get a couple of kids in who we can develop there as understudy to Wright and Sakamoto. Get a proper lone striker in as well in the summer.

 

[Sternjohnalscoresgoalsand]

It just makes no sense to spend all this time getting the US visa and security for his family then move straightaway to Europe.

He's also apparently off to LA anyway:

LAFC Close to Signing Daniel Pereira

The Los Angeles Soccer Club (LAFC) is on the verge of securing a significant addition to its midfield, with negotiations already at an advanced stage for the si

mlsmultiplex.com

 

[SlowerThanPlatt]

Our man Shankland making alot of headlines.

Assisted by that Norwich CB we had on trial a couple of pre seasons ago Bushiri

 

[SkyblueDad]

Celtic are looking at Hosoya so he's probably going to go to a bigger team than us

Bigger club yes, bigger league no.

 

[TomRad85]

He could easily get his green card and then move here for a few years. It would be straightforward for him and his family to keep hold of the green card for as long as he wants, so long as he maintains a US address, pays the requisite taxes and says the right things when he enters the country (which he’d be advised to do at least once a year or so).

Tbh he probably only got the green card to make it easier for Austin to meet the MLS roster rules, rather than any kind of American Dream on his part, and it’s very easy to keep hold of it once once you’ve got it. Rishi Sunak had one until very recently!

OK I figured that would be the case but couldn't put that across with any confidence. Thank you for your help.

 

[Skybluedownunder]

OK I figured that would be the case but couldn't put that across with any confidence. Thank you for your help.

Is he a player people feel would be good for us? His stats don’t look overly impressive if we want him doing the Hamer role. He doesn’t score any goals and this year is the only year he’s got a few assists in a bang average league

Am I missing something? Hopefully someone might be able to shed some light

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[Calista]

Out wide we’ve got Tavares, Palmer, Allen who can all play the role

Palmer or Allen playing out wide would surely only be a stopgap measure. Tavares - too little evidence to really know.

 

[HuckerbyDublinWhelan]

Bigger club yes, bigger league no.

2bf Celtic is a bigger stepping stone to the prem, where he’ll be paid more and shine more because of the league standard. He’ll also play in the CL next season.

 

[TomRad85]

2bf Celtic is a bigger stepping stone to the prem, where he’ll be paid more and shine more because of the league standard. He’ll also play in the CL next season.

I'd say we're getting to the point where if we're considering ourselves a Championship club who can pay decent fees and compete top end every season, the choice between us and an Old Firm club is a pretty tight one. I'd certainly expect Leicester, Leeds etc to beat them out more often than not.
I don't think we could take a player from Celtic they didn't want us to take but likewise I couldn't see us losing someone to them either.

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[Deity]

I'd say we're getting to the point where if we're considering ourselves a Championship club who can pay decent fees and compete top end every season, the choice between us and an Old Firm club is a pretty tight one. I'd certainly expect Leicester, Leeds etc to beat them out more often than not.
I don't think we could take a player from Celtic they didn't want us to take but likewise I couldn't see us losing someone to them either.

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I’m not sure this is correct.

for some players the opportunity to play in front of 40,000 fans at home every other week, play in the Champions league, win titles etc will be more appealing that competing for the Championship play offs.

The Championship is a better league, the wage structure will be more competitive at the top end of the championship.

It depends what motivates the player and his agent !

 

[TomRad85]

I’m not sure this is correct.

for some players the opportunity to play in front of 40,000 fans at home every other week, play in the Champions league, win titles etc will be more appealing that competing for the Championship play offs.

The Championship is a better league, the wage structure will be more competitive at the top end of the championship.

It depends what motivates the player and his agent !

You literally just said what I said though

I'm saying it depends on the player and isn't a straight forward choice at all.

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[TomRad85]

Generic Celtic season...
Play against 1 Championship standard team a few times (Rangers.)
All other games play against a mixture of poor league 1/league 2 standard teams.
Get hammered in Europe.

Thrilling stuff.

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[Sky Blue Harry H]

Celtic are looking at Hosoya so he's probably going to go to a bigger team than us

Sauce ?

 

[Flying Fokker]

I’m not sure this is correct.

for some players the opportunity to play in front of 40,000 fans at home every other week, play in the Champions league, win titles etc will be more appealing that competing for the Championship play offs.

The Championship is a better league, the wage structure will be more competitive at the top end of the championship.

It depends what motivates the player and his agent !

The away games will enable a bit of sightseeing.

 

[Flying Fokker]

Genetic Celtic season...
Play against 1 Championship standard team a few times (Rangers.)
All other games play against a mixture of poor league 1/league 2 standard teams.
Get hammered in Europe.

Thrilling stuff.

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Bloody spell-checker.

 

[Deity]

Generic Celtic season...
Play against 1 Championship standard team a few times (Rangers.)
All other games play against a mixture of poor league 1/league 2 standard teams.
Get hammered in Europe.

Thrilling stuff.

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I don’t disagree but whether we like it or not Celtic and Rangers are global football clubs. They have supporters clubs in every continent. This will appeal to some players who will be attracted by the size and history of the clubs.

 

[Chris1987]

I don’t disagree but whether we like it or not Celtic and Rangers are global football clubs. They have supporters clubs in every continent. This will appeal to some players who will be attracted by the size and history of the clubs.

What about cathedral loving players?

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

What about cathedral loving players?

Glasgow has one

 

[Chris1987]

Glasgow has one

Only one though.

 

[shmmeee]

Palmer or Allen playing out wide would surely only be a stopgap measure. Tavares - too little evidence to really know.

I think if we lose two wide players anyone is going to be a stop gap TBF. But I don’t think any of those are particularly terrible options if far from ideal. They’ve all played some variant of it at some point. Allen probably less but he can go to AM and O’Hare out wide. We’re hopefully only talking about giving players a rest during games.

 

[HuckerbyDublinWhelan]

I'd say we're getting to the point where if we're considering ourselves a Championship club who can pay decent fees and compete top end every season, the choice between us and an Old Firm club is a pretty tight one. I'd certainly expect Leicester, Leeds etc to beat them out more often than not.
I don't think we could take a player from Celtic they didn't want us to take but likewise I couldn't see us losing someone to them either.

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The main reason I’d say old firm is a better choice is because it’s easier to shine and you’ll always get exposure.

Leicester and Leeds for instance would be paying more perhaps double what Celtic would pay.

I’d compare it to Gyokeres - he’s gone to a lesser league on more more money and he’s ripping it up and is showing himself in Europe.

He’s now primed for another big move

 

[TomRad85]

The main reason I’d say old firm is a better choice is because it’s easier to shine and you’ll always get exposure.

Leicester and Leeds for instance would be paying more perhaps double what Celtic would pay.

I’d compare it to Gyokeres - he’s gone to a lesser league on more more money and he’s ripping it up and is showing himself in Europe.

He’s now primed for another big move

I think Sporting is a much firmer stepping stone than Celtic tbf.

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