Southampton to sign £8.5m star Yukinari Sugawara

The “most likely” team to sign a talented international defender who has made an impression in the Netherlands is Southampton.

Prior to the team’s Premier League comeback, Southampton has made a strong start to the summer transfer window,

capturing the free agent Adam Lallana and Taylor Harwood-Bellis for permanent signings.

Although there is still much work to be done to prepare his team for the premier league,

manager Russell Martin will be collaborating with the Southampton administration to pinpoint aims.

When his contract with Brentford ends at the end of the month, Saman Ghoddos is set to sign with the Saints,

while Ryan Fraser is negotiating his way out of Newcastle United, where he may be able to move for free.

It appears that Southampton is now focusing on a flexible full-back who will increase their alternatives for the upcoming campaign.

Ryan Manning, James Bree, and Kyle Walker-Peters are Southampton’s current senior full-backs.

Walker-Peters is frequently mentioned in connection with moves,

but his two caps as an England right-back could stay at St Mary’s thanks to the Saints’ elevation.

However, there are doubts about Bree’s and Manning’s ability to step up to the Premier League,

which is why Martin seems to want to bolster the position.

That appears likely to occur, as Sponichi, a Japanese publication,

popularly known as “Yusei,” from AZ Alkmaar this summer.

“Japan national team defender Sugawara Yusei is most likely to transfer to Southampton,

another Moriyasu Japan player to join the world’s strongest league,” claims Sponichi Soccer on “X.”

But Sugawara seems most likely to move with Southampton, and with just one year remaining on his contract with AZ Alkmaar,

he should be available for about £8.5 million, according to One Football.

Southampton may find Sugawara interesting since he is a versatile full-back who can also play as a right midfielder or center-back.

At the age of seventeen, he signed a professional deal with Nagoya Grampus,

the team Gary Lineker played for briefly towards the conclusion of his career,

making him the youngest player to play in the Japanese top division ever.

Ever since, he has stayed in that position, making 198 games while tallying an amazing 14 goals and 29 assists.

Along with his excellent record of 53 appearances in the Europa League, Europa Conference League,

and Champions League qualification, Sugawara is also the player with the most appearances in continental competition in AZ Alkmaar’s history.

The closest statistical comparison to Sugawara, despite being a right-back,

is former Real Madrid and Brazil left-back Marcelo, according to football data website FBREF.

A very aggressive full-back, Sugawara is ranked in the top ten for shots per ninety minutes,

assists, projected assists, non-penalty expected goals plus expected assists, and shot-creating actions among players of his position.

This indicates that Southampton supporters have reason to be enthusiastic about a player who will try to

score whenever possible and who could succeed under Martin.

Sugawara, who made his international debut in October 2020,

has played 13 times for his native Japan and has established himself as a regular.

If Sugawara signs, he will be Southampton’s second summer signing from Japan.

Attacker Rento Takaoka, 17, has a pre-contract deal confirmed; he will join in March after turning 18.

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