I really don't understand this move. In Genk he could play Europe, even fight for the title. Two years ago he could have been champion. He leaves a team and a league where he is known and appreciated, to, I must agree, a better league but overall a team that just aims to avoid relegation. How could this be an interesting step? Rennes would have been a nice move, but Reims is really really questionnable. Does he share the same agent with Nakajima? Ok, Reims used to be a good team decades ago, but it is also the region of champagne. Is a lot of money involved, is he already preparing the life after football? I don't get it, man... This move is such a pity to me. He was much appreciated in Belgium
They finished 12 last season. Not a top team but. Way head of relegation. Its a better league for sure and a step up so why is it not interesting. He has playing in Europe with Genk now a couple of times but what does that give him? Not so much. You cant stay in minor leagues just because you are appreciated. Well you can if you want to halt your career.
Things are he needed the best team to prepare for WC. If this team give him more minutes and better opponents than the previous it's fine.
Genk wasn't going to play for anything this season and they were extremely disappointing in the last one, so no Europe. At 29 year old it was definitely about time to play in a more serious league.
I agree he had to try a better league. But this transfer, end of july, at the beginning of the new season, meaning no preparation with his new team, new environment with another mentality (flemish and german cultures suit more to japanese people imo) and all this 4 months ahead of the World Cup... In a club only struggling to maintain to the top. Come on lads, let's be serious. It really is a disappointing move both on the timing and the destination. Even french media are surprised by this move. Reims only had to activate his release clause for 10M€. Any interested club could have done the same, with no need to negociate with Genk. As easily. One more time in japanese football, a poor job made by his agent. Nakata, Inamoto, Honda, Okazaki, Kagawa, Kawashima, Shibasaki, Nakajima, Kubo and countless others... And now Ito. I don't know about you guys but I am tired of witnessing poor career decisions due to agents badly defending japanese players interests.
Oh sure if you put it like that, a player like Ito should've left probably last season already. And you're spot on, his agent is a niche one and there's a good reason for that. So yes, it could've been better. But, I still think this is better than staying in Genk.
Let's not derail the thread but, yes, the overwhelming majority have a japanese agent. There are instances of international group like Base Soccer (now CAA Base) which follow for example Itakura, that are international groups, but even among the group the person following the player is a japanese. You can just look up for players agents on Transfermarkt yourself.
Yeah mostly all of them, and this is the "problem", I mean they lack contacts in Europe and I guess the cultural differences and the language bareer doesn't help. I have two friends that are working as football agents in Belgium and France and from what they told me, dealing with St Trond/St Truiden is very complicated. And well, when a japanese player finds an european agent, Nakajima for instance, they just get screwed. I can't wait for the next generation to really open doors and contacts to european football.
I love Ito, such passion and huuuuuge balls. A shame that he is 29 but 3-5 good years he will have in Europe and maybe when he perform this year, that good, he can even step up to a club like Marseille. Please let him have a monster WC like Takashi Inui on his own style.
Takashi Inui had a good WC then disappeared. Anyway it's all we need: athletes in optimum form. What Moriyasu need for his (poor) gamestyle is a Top Ito and a Top Whoever on the other side with an uninjured Furuhashi as FW.
Anyone started to notice, that Moriyasu has quite possibly gone and done a copy/paste of Okada Japan? I'm not sure I mind too much tbh.
The question is whether Moriyasu is also able to leave out big names from the 1st eleven when they are not in form. The main reason why Okadas team succeeded is only because he left out players who were not in form like Shunsuke Nakamura. Minamino is in terrible form and at the moment he should not start for Japan. If Moriyasu is not able to make decisions like that then Japan will fail anyway at the World Cup
Maybe because Moriyasu has not the final word on the starters names? Minamino is even one of the two testimonials for Adidas new jersey, maybe he "can't" be sacked.