AFC Asian Cup: Japan v Indonesia – Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar – January 24, 2024 Japan’s Yukinari Sugawara during the pre-match warm-up
12:26 JST, July 15, 2024
London (AFP-Jiji) – Southampton signed Japanese defender Yukinari Sugawara from Dutch club AZ Alkmaar on Sunday for a reported £6 million ($7.6 million).
Sugawara signed a four-year contract with the promoted Premier League club.
The 24-year-old right-back is Southampton manager Russell Martin’s seventh signing since last season’s play-off final victory over Leeds at Wembley.
Sugawara played 198 games for Alkmaar in all competitions after joining from Japanese club Nagoya Grampus in 2018.
He played 13 international matches for Japan and made his international debut in 2020.
“Coming to Southampton and playing in the Premier League has been one of my biggest dreams since I was young, so I’m really excited to be here,” said Sugawara.
“I thought Southampton was a very good club. When Southampton made me an offer, I said yes after one second.”
Martin said he had been tracking Sugawara for “a long time” before he finally caught his man.
“He is coming at a good age and has already played many matches at a high level, including a wealth of European experience,” he said.
“He is a talented footballer with a great mentality and a character who we think will be very popular with his team-mates. You can feel his enthusiasm and determination to do well.”
