Tottenham has signed Kota Takai from Kawasaki Frontale for 6.8 million USD, according to talkSPORT on 23/6. The 20-year-old center-back becomes the most expensive Japanese player sold overseas, surpassing the previous record held by Kyogo Furuhashi, who joined Celtic from Vissel Kobe in 2021 for 6.3 million USD.
Takai progressed through Kawasaki Frontale's youth system before making 78 appearances for the first team since 2022. In 2024, the 1.92-meter-tall defender won the Japanese Super Cup with Kawasaki Frontale and the Asian Championship with the under-23 national team. He has also earned four caps for the Japanese national team.
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Takai (right) marking Ronaldo in the AFC Champions League semi-final. Photo: AFP |
Takai (right) marking Ronaldo in the AFC Champions League semi-final. Photo: AFP
Last season, Takai was part of the Kawasaki Frontale team that defeated Al Nassr 3-2 in the AFC Champions League semi-final. In that match, he effectively marked Cristiano Ronaldo, preventing him from scoring. Kawasaki Frontale then lost to another Saudi Arabian team, Al Ahli, 2-0 in the final.
Takai will be the third Japanese defender to play for a Premier League club, following Maya Yoshida (formerly of Southampton) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (currently at Arsenal).
In addition to Takai, Tottenham has five other center-backs: Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Denso, Radu Dragusin, and Ben Davies. It is possible that the club will loan Takai to another team to gain more experience.
This summer, Tottenham has already secured Danso from Lens and Mathys Tel from Bayern. They are also targeting Bryan Mbeumo but face competition from Man Utd. Eberechi Eze, who scored the winning goal in last season's FA Cup final (Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City), is an alternative option if they fail to secure Mbeumo.
Last season, despite winning the Europa League and securing a Champions League spot, Tottenham dismissed manager Ange Postecoglu. Chairman Daniel Levy stated that finishing 17th in the Premier League was unacceptable. He subsequently appointed Thomas Frank, who led Brentford to the Premier League and maintained their position for four consecutive seasons.
Thanh Quy (via talkSPORT)
