Tottenham Hotspur has officially brought in Japanese central defender Kota Takai on a five-year contract.
He becomes Spurs' fourth signing of the summer following the arrival of centre-back Luka Vukovic from Croatian club Hajduk Split, as well as loan signings Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso.
"We are pleased to announce the signing of Kota Takai from J1 League club Kawasaki Frontale, subject to obtaining international clearance and a work permit. The Japanese international defender has agreed a deal with the Club that will run until 2030," the club's official website wrote, quoted Tuesday.
The Premier League's official website wrote that the 20-year-old would become the 16th Japanese player to play for a Premier League club, if he appears before Leeds United midfielder Ao Tanaka.
Born in Yokohama, Japan, Takai first joined River FC at the age of five, remaining with them until moving to Kawasaki Frontale in 2011.
He was promoted to the senior team in 2022 and made his debut that year, where he has now made 81 appearances and scored four goals for Kawasaki Frontale.
Takai has made four appearances for Japan's senior national team, since making his debut in the opening match of the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers when they beat China 7-0 in September 2024. Of his four appearances, Takai also appeared in the Samurai Biru's last match when they beat Indonesia 6-0 last month.
