http://www.standard.be/toutes-les-n...nais-chez-les-rouches.htm?lng=fr#.UPcDr2f1wvx Signed a contract until 2017. note of the club: L'accord définitif doit encore être approuvé par le club de Nagoya Grampus. (well, if they announce it I guess it's just a formality)
Also for some reason the club writes: "La saison dernière, Kensuke a marqué 8 buts en 18 matches dans le championnat japonais et a participé aux JO de Londres avec son équipe nationale." uhh what? When has Kensuke scored 8 goals in 18 matches? edit: Oh, I got it. These inepts think that the season in Japan ends in June. Epic fail.
Didn't really post anything about Nagai but, well, personally I think that phyisically he's really interesting, but his technique isn't really on par. So I surely hope he's successful, but yeah if I were a club, I would've taken someone else. Liegi was on him since summer 2012 anyway, so... He scored 10 in 30 That said, hey, good luck to him! Impress us!
best day of my life so far. Belgian fans thinking he's going to (hahahaha) sell Standard shirts in Japan (hahaha). Oh my, how better it was when the internet wasn't around
Such an exciting move for Nagai. He is an amazing athlete but in terms of technique is still raw. I think this is a good move for him since the Belgian league is a lower level league where he can develop and gain confidence, as opposed to joining the Bundasliga and a team expecting him to be the next Kagawa. Its also great to see him paired up with Kawashima which will make the transition that much smoother. Now he has as good a chance as any to snatch the striker spot for the NT. It's anyone's spot to take and with nobody stepping up he can seize the opportunity. I hope he succeeds and gets Zacs attention. I would prefer to see him flying all over the field in the Samurai Blue more than any other striker. Of course he needs to earn it though.
I think he should have stayed in J-League until he has honed his skills. At Nagoya at least he would have played regulary. Not to mention that Nagoya seems to want to drop out of title contenders
He's 23. I think this is the right time to try the european adventure. 1 season an half to deserve JNT call for WC2014... (joking)
I really enjoyed watching him during the Olympics. I like his physical style of play -- speed and strength and toughness. I don't watch J-League but based solely on the Olympics he deserves this transfer. I hope he does well.
It's the Belgian league for goodness sake, its not that much of a step up compared to the J-League, if at all...as long as he gets a fair chance he should have no problems in this league earning playtime. Whether or not he will be a star, 'shirt seller', or a flop, we'll just have to wait and see.
Yes exactly. But only "god" knows if he will play here and how much, while at Nagoya we all know that he would have played quite a lot. Cases like Morimoto and Tadanari Lee are not exactly a good reference Then you look at Havenaar he is playing but how much compared to J-League? And Okazaki? I always believe playing comes first and then the strength of the league second. This guy needs to work on his technique quite a bit before I see him as a good enough striker for Europe. The only good thing about this move is the presence of Kawashima for me at this moment
Agreed playing is always first and the league is second, thats why I like this move, he didnt go to a league where the competition level is off the charts like EPL, Bundasliga, Seria A, or La Liga. This is a league that is a 2nd tier league, he can gain confidence being in Europe and learn a different style of football, and if all goes according to plan play. Bonus he has a countryman in Kawashima to make the transition easy and a team that accepts Japanese players. He should be able to play, lets be real, sure his technique is nowhere near Kagawa, Inui, Kiyotake, etc. But he has much more athleticism than all of them, and of course plays a different position. I think this move will benefit him as he matures he will be able to play under control and hopefully develop more of balanced game. I like his style of play already, hes got a motor, plays with grit, and his speed is second to none, if he could string some passes together and become a better finisher this guy would be even more of a nightmare for defenders. He has so much potential IMO. With Nagoya he had a solid season, and if you saw him play at the Olympics you'd think he could play against, maybe he could have used another year but.. the time is now and his confidence is at an all time high. I have no problem with him moving somewhat prematurely, if anything I respect it, he wants to challenge himself and was smart about it picking a league and a club where he knew he could play. I think this is Nagai sending a message to Zac that says,"Put my name in the discussion for NT striker".
I saw some videos of him...damn his fast. Or just the defenders are slow? Not sure which.... Who is faster, Miyaichi or Nagai? Anyone know
I like him a lot, the thing which I think he needs to improve is his passing shooting and holding to the ball, perhaps dribbling if possible. Speed, strength, stamina, heart and instinct that I think he has Clad probably Miyaichi but Nagai is more explosive imo
None of them are a good comparison though. Morimoto is a 18yr going to Serie A, heh. Tadanari Lee could be a comparison, but he's still in the EPL, not in Belgium. Okazaki is playing, not always starting, but he played 26 matches last year anyway. And he's not really scoring much, so it's up to him. Havenaar isn't playing in his usual position, though it's not an excuse, I don't like him anyway Well, I kinda believe that too but with that mentality you won't get anywhere. If everyone reasoned like that, maybe Kagawa would still be at Cerezo now. You have to accept a challenge at a certain point - if you have ambition.
His? It isn't only a Kensuke Nagai dream but a JNT/JNT fans/Zac dream. I mean to find a japanese forward able to reach an european level (not top european level) with good numbers in terms of scores and a damn good final product.