Southampton have signed Japan right-back Yukinari Sugawara from Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar.
The 24-year-old put pen to paper on a four-year contract and signed a seventh in the summer transfer window.
Sugawara is the second Japanese player to move to Southampton this summer, after the club announced the arrival of Rento Takaoka, who will join Nissho Gakuen High School in March 2025.
„Last summer I played pre-season for Southampton,” Sugawara said Official website of the club. „I felt Southampton played very good football on the ball; they didn’t play long balls, only short passing, they played smart.
„I felt Southampton was a good club. When Southampton gave me an offer, I said yes in a second!
„So, Yuki, what drew you to Southampton?” 😅
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) July 14, 2024
Southampton manager Russell Martin was delighted to get his man: „Yugi is a player we’ve been watching for a long time and was our number one target in his position.
„He’s coming of age with a lot of games under his belt at the highest level already, including a wealth of European experience. He’s a talented footballer with a great attitude and a role we think will be very popular with his team-mates.
„You can feel his enthusiasm and his determination to do well – he is very excited not only to play in the Premier League but to play for Southampton.”
Who is Yukinari Sugawara?
Sugawara was born on 28 June 2000 in Toyogawa, Japan.
He started his career with Nagoya Grampus in the J1 League in 2018 and stayed with the club until 2019 when he moved to the Netherlands.
In his first season with AZ Alkmaar, the full-back made 35 appearances in all competitions before the campaign was halted in March 2020 due to the Covid pandemic.
Over the past two seasons, Sugawara has made a huge impact on his side’s attacking output. He scored three times and assisted a further eight goals in 31 Eredivisie matches in 2022/23, scoring four goals and creating seven goals in 30 league appearances last season.
In total, the 24-year-old has played 135 times in the Dutch league and has also featured in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League.
He has represented Japan at Under-15, Under-17, Under-19, Under-20, Under-22 and Under-23 levels and has 13 caps for the senior team.
Sugawara could feature in Southampton’s first pre-season friendly against Eastleigh on July 19, while he is expected to make his Premier League debut when the Saints open their season at Newcastle United on Saturday, August 17.
See: Summer 2024 Transfers & News