Japan International will join Spurs

Tottenham Hotspurs has reportedly reached a deal to sign 20-year-old Kawasaki forward Kota Takai for about 1 billion yen ($6.8 million). Once completed, this will be the biggest expense ever for J-League’s Japanese player. It was determined by technical director Johan Lange that Tucky is expected to be part of the North London club’s first team, rather than being loaned out.

Thomas Frank, who recently took over as head coach from Ange Postecoglou, will carefully check the defender in just one week at the start of preseason practice to see how he adapts to his plans. So, what kind of players will the Spurs get? So far, this is a careful study of Takai and his brief career.

What kind of player is Kota Takai?

Takai is an excellent defender, both right and center in the back fours, although the right side is also center in the right side. He reads well, has confidence in property, and approaches the 1V1 situation in controlled aggression, rarely falling on the ground. At 192cm, he was the threat around the corner, scoring two in the first half of the 2025 J-League season.

In some games, Takai struggles with the striker physically and he may take some time to get used to the Premier League game. However, although he is likely to be a substitute for Micky Van de Ven and Cristian Romero in the long run, he can prove that he is a wise acquisition by Tottenham.

Takai’s breakthrough in Frontale

The 20-year-old Kanagawa County native made his debut in the AFC Champions League in April 2022 with a 8-0 victory over the Chinese team. That same year, he won the starring role in the men’s football U-23 Asian Cup.

Takai was once again impressed at the Paris Olympics, with Japan (deciding not including any overs) being knocked out by Spain in the quarter-finals stage in August. The following month, Takai won the first cap for national teams in the country to replace the World Cup qualifiers. He has played for his country four times and has recently appeared in Indonesia’s 6-0 hit.

Prior to that game, Takai played a key role when Frontale entered the AFC Champions League final. One of his outstanding performances in his career so far has been against Al-Nassr in the semifinals, which included Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mané and Jhon Durán. They ended up losing 2-0 to Al-Ahli Saudi FC in the final.

Forward-strength players thriving in Europe

In recent years, several players who started their careers at Kawasaki Frontale have flourished in Europe. This includes Kaoru Metoma of Brighton and his former classmate AO Tanaka, who played a major role in Leeds United’s promotion to top aircraft. There is also Hidemasa Morita, who won two Primeira Liga titles, including Sporting CP, four-time Scottish Premier League champions Celtics’ Reo Hatate and Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Ko Itakura, who reportedly attracted the interests of multiple Champions League clubs.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Ange Postcoglou Manager

Frank hopes Takai will have a similar impression at Tottenham, who will play in the Champions League this season. They are eligible for the match after defeating Man UTD 1-0 in the Europa League final. This is the club’s first major trophy in 17 years. However, victory was not enough to get Postecoglou to work on his job.

The Australian, who previously managed Yokohama F. Marinos, was fired for the team’s poor league form. They finished 17th after losing 22 league games, the most losses of the Chinese and English Premier League teams in a season. “Emotionally, it’s difficult, but we think we’ve made the right decision for the club,” Chairman Daniel Levy said of the decision to separate from Postecoglou.

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