Why Championship Clubs Love Japanese Players | #efl #footballshorts

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There's been a flurry of Japanese players signing for EFL clubs in the Championship, but what's behind this increase?

Let's find out 🤝

#soccer #premierleague #eflchampionship

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Additional footage sourced from AP Newsroom

[Benboe]

Tanaka is leeds best signing since raphinha. Maybe even the best in recent times given the price. He is unreal and levels above championship. I hope we can keep him.

[bigrandomun]

Also has to be said that the quality of Japanese football is rising year among year. This is a country that seems to have no problem playing against the best in the world, often putting them on the back foot. Players like Kamada, Ito, Endo, Doan, Kyogo, Mitoma, Tomiyasu, Itakura have all adapted to the highest level of football and showed they belong amongst the best. You’ve now got players like Kubo who are always linked with big moves to big clubs as important players, not just squad or bench options like those in the past may have been. I made a prediction a while ago that Japan would be a semi-finalist in a World Cup before 2040 but honestly they might do it in the next one if they keep developing this amount of talent.

[brianmohamad]

I really admire what big Ange and celtic did a couple years ago buyin Maeda etc. Japanese players are great in technique, hardworker, and affordable. thats what clubs should be looking at, instead of old marquee players who past their prime.

[Football_Fanatic]

Ao Tanaka the CDM who recently went to Leeds United is a good example he’s a really really good player currently doing well for them!

[prideofthemixed]

Hamell is wrong, the actual answer is: blue lock!

[thebard]

4. Championship managers watch Blue Lock

[thereistheonlyone]

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 football is much improving in many ways

[fozzylozzy]

Also Japan are actively hunting for a good enough team to win the world cup, so going to europe even to the championship will help raise the nation and the players profiles meaning bigger clubs will find the better young players train them up and then you have Japans next national team

[Jordi]

Have been more Japanese players in the Dutch league too in recent years

[espben]

The growth of football in Japan since the turn of the century, makes what happens in 2022 World Cup much less surprising. They will absolutely be a force come 2026 again

[KirigayaOokami]

_For anyone interested in learning more about Japanese football, I recommend reading the manga "Ao Ashi", it's unbelievably great and it helps understand so much just how much the Japanese environment has grown in both their perspective and from the European perspective, just so good._

[nathanwhitehouse]

Yu Hirakawa at Bristol looked very dangerous when against West Brom. He could ge a good talent

[steve]

Ao tanaka made championship looks like playground football. He is as physical as any midfielder in the league anyway and keeps the ball like rodri. If leeds not promoted someone needs to come for him. Better than 70 percent of premier league midfielders

[dottyx]

Ao Tanaka is so good, it’s astounding that he only costed a few million

[vihodanyet]

The “outdated stereotype” is actually not outdated and still true. Hence why players like Minamino showed quality but ultimately couldn’t make it in the league

[mightymoeish]

"Stereotypes about lower physicality have worn off."
***ten seconds later***
"Oh also the league has gotten less physical and Asians are playing better."
Hahaha

[saddammall]

It's all thanks to Big Ange and Celtic...

[Catssonova]

If you want to know if Japanese soccer is physical, my junior highschool's team has 4 kids out with fractures (mostly fingers) from the amount of grabbing and jostling happening. Oh, and one kid had a fractured rib from a match as well. 😂

I don't watch much amateur soccer, but when I walk by other schools' practices in Japan, there are always kids right next to each other lowering their hips to get position on their opponents

[Daniel.Jackson]

There's also the fact that Ao Tanaka is a generational talent and the best football player in the world

[JKH-fd]

First it was German Bundesliga Clubs and now its EFL championship clubs getting japanese players, im betting in the next few years japanese players will go to scottish clubs