‘A new area’: why British clubs are increasingly turning to Asia to sign players

Arsène Wenger was ahead of the curve in 2013 when he identified one of the world’s fastest growing talent pools. “I find a new market that is very interesting and very competitive is the Japanese market,” he said. “Look at the number of Japanese players who play now in Germany for example.”

And now England. This summer, Japan’s Kota Takai became part of the new Thomas Frank era at Tottenham while Birmingham have added another two Japanese players to take their contingent to three. They also have the South Korean midfielder Paik Seung-ho while his compatriot Park Seung-soo has joined Newcastle from Suwon Bluewings.

“The idea is that we’re coming into a new area,” the Newcastle scout Oliver Slater says. “We’re coming into a new market, which we have not really looked too much into before.”

Post-Brexit rules have made it easier for clubs to sign players directly from Japan and Korea but there is also a greater recognition of the talent available in East Asia. Japan were not just the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, but are no longer satisfied with just reaching a tournament with the captain and Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo telling fans that it is time to talk of winning. The Japan FA long ago set a target of 2050, but now that seems a little unambitious. The talk is of a last-eight place next year, the semis by 2030 and then to go and win. Given talent such as Kaoru Mitoma of Brighton and the fact that Japan’s youth development system is one of the best in the world, it would not be a shock.

There are five Japanese players in the Premier League now that Takehiro Tomiyasu has left Arsenal after injury issues. There are nine in the Championship and – apart from the British nations and Ireland – only Jamaica, Denmark and Australia have more representatives in the second tier.

“The Premier League has changed English football and that in turn has changed the Championship,” says Eddy Bosnar, who played in Japan and South Korea before heading home to Australia where he later became head of recruitment at Western Sydney Wanderers.

“There is a lot more technical football now and it suits Japanese players more as they are excellent in that respect and also quick and always ready to listen and learn. In Australia, we were ahead of them back in the day, our team was full of players at big European clubs from 2000 to 2005 but now Japan are way ahead because of their development.”

Not only are they good, they are also relatively cheap and heading overseas at a younger age. The Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson said last week in Australia that clubs have to look elsewhere as the European market is expensive. As yet, Japan’s is not. Takai, a classy defender called “Japan’s Van Dijk” by the national team coach, Hajime Moriyasu, was the most expensive Japanese player in J.League history but the international joined Spurs for less than £6m. Even if the 20-year-old never plays for Tottenham, the club would probably get their money back.

Kaoru Mitoma has made an impact for Brighton and Japan in recent seasons. Photograph: Aflo Co Ltd/Alamy

“In Japan, they want to give the players a chance to go to Europe as it is good for Japanese football in the long-term,” Bosnar, who was also at Dinamo Zagreb, says. “They also, like clubs in Croatia, wait for the second transfer – players come and then get sold and then there is a sell-on clause.”

There is a debate in Japan whether clubs are undervaluing their talent and, as more players impress, the fees are sure to rise. For now, though, there is a desire to be seen to be helping youngsters move on and, for obvious reasons, J.League clubs would rather their best players join Tottenham or Celtic rather than a domestic rival.

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Korean clubs have historically received better fees for their young talents and while league leaders Jeonbuk Motors have, for now, denied their star Jeon Jin-woo a move to the Championship when they are in the middle of a title race, there is also a desire for their players to head to England.

Park Ji-sung was the pioneer for many, joining Manchester United in 2005 and ensuring that his countrymen and women back home were served a weekly Premier League diet. Park made an international name for himself helping the Taeguk Warriors reach the last four at the 2002 World Cup, moving to PSV Eindhoven soon after and, after a slow start, becoming a star and heading to Old Trafford.

“The World Cup helped both countries and the football has grown a lot since then,” Bosnar says. “As soon as a World Cup comes to a country, then everything changes, and it continues to change.”

More than two decades on, Korean and Japanese players have shown their worth on the pitch. There are still comments about shirts being sold in the “Far East” when new signings are made, but these are much less common than in the past. Japan, especially, are becoming a force in the world of football, and increasingly in England.