Today, my final 2023 season post and my first 2024 season post and it's about the players leaving us and joining us. For once, me being a bit slow has worked in my favour as our latest signing was only announced yesterday. I have to say, I don't really know much about any of the players who are joining us so there's not going to be a great deal of detail here, but hopefully it might give you a little background on the new guys. Some of these parts were written before new signings were made and as I can't be bothered to change them, please ignore the bits that don't completely make sense with recent signings in mind. After this you won't be hearing from me until the ACL games. I'm quite pleased to have finally got all these end of season posts done. Perhaps it was related to our terrible form in 2023, but recently this blog has really been a bit of an effort to keep going. These posts take quite a long time to write, (unbelievable when you consider the quality, eh?), so I'm happy to not have anything to write for a while now. See you in mid February!
Leaving the club
Leandro Damiao
Probably said everything I wanted to say about Damiao’s departure in my end of season player round up post. I think most of us knew he was going to go so it wasn’t such a big surprise. It’s nice that he has left on a high after we won the cup, but it’s a shame that he’s gone at at time when he seemed to be playing better than he had for a while. Wish him all the best wherever he ends up. Well, unless it’s a rival, I guess, but even if that happens I will still think he’s a nice guy.
Joao Schmidt
Much like Damiao, we probably suspected that he was going to leave us. And much like with Damiao, I probably said most things in my player round ups. Always had his pitch time limited by being behind Tachibanada in Oniki’s eyes. And that’s a little hard to disagree with, considering that when he had a run in the team, even though I thought he was one of our better players, we didn’t play very well. Never seemed particularly suited to Oniki’s tactics as when he played some lovely balls forward there was often no-one expecting them. Has gone to Santos who have just been relegated to Brazil’s Serie B for the first time in their 111 year history so are presumably doing a big rebuild. He joins one of my most disliked ex-J Leaguers Diego Pituca there. Good luck to Joao and hope he can keep the horrible Pituca out of the team.
Miyashiro Taisei
Now we’re on to the more surprising departures. Although I did speculate halfway through last year that a new contract for Oniki would trigger some players leaving. Miyashiro has left us to go to Vissel Kobe. Some might say that this is because he might think that they have more chance at winning things than we do, and that could well be the case, but I think he probably believes that even with two of what people consider to be the best strikers in the league ahead of him, he probably still has more chance at Vissel of getting some time on the pitch and getting played in a position that suits him. People have long said that he didn’t fit our system, and this is a bit frustrating when you consider that our system didn’t really work for long parts of 2023 but remained unchanged. Of course, one player is not as important as the team, but at the same time, it’s certain that ineffective tactics are also not as important as the team as a whole. It’s a real shame as I think he has a bright future and we didn’t see the best of him. In spite of him not playing many minutes he still ended up being our second highest scorer and that was playing in a system to which he wasn’t suited. I normally finish these by wishing the departing player all the best, but given that he’s going to Vissel it feels a but more difficult to do so. But he does seem to be a nice guy and perhaps he shares my feelings on the effectiveness of Oniki as a manager. So, good luck to him.
Yamamura Kazuya
Another player who it is difficult to wholeheartedly wish all the best as he is transferring to my most hated local rival team YFM. Again though I think he’s been slightly badly treated by us and therefore it’s no surprise to see him move on. In my player round up I said “it seems to be his destiny that he’ll be playing in defence for us from time to time as long as he’s happy to put up with it” and it seems that he wasn’t prepared to put up with it any longer. And who can blame him? Whether he gets to play in midfield at YFM, well, who knows? But I wouldn’t be surprised if he does better than some people expect and makes us playing him relentlessly out of position look a bit stupid.
Yamane Miki
The rumours about Yamane’s departure had been circulating for a while so it wasn’t a great surprise when he finally left for LA Galaxy. Yamane has had a great career with us but has definitely dropped off a bit in the last couple of years. Whether this was due to fatigue from playing every single game or whether he’s just on the way down, he’ll be difficult to replace. At the same time though, I think it needed to be done, as Oniki seemed wedded to playing him whatever the situation and the only way we’d be able to give anyone else a chance to prove themselves in that position would be if he departed. Hopefully Oniki’s solution to the problem won’t be to play a midfielder there. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was though. Good luck to Yamane in LA. I guess it will be an interesting new place to live and play, even if it is for the wrong LA team (at least that’s what my friend says). I think it’s a good transfer for both him and us, as we needed to change things up a bit and now Oniki will have no choice but to do so.
Noborizato Kyohei
Perhaps the most surprising departure of all, given that Nobori has been a fixture at Frontale for many years. Perhaps though the writing was on the wall a little as we had a few other left backs in the squad and then recently signed great hope Miura from Kofu. I say we had a few left backs in the squad but the truth is that Nobori was clearly Oniki’s first choice at left back though and if he hadn’t suffered from a few injuries in the last few seasons I think he would have been played a lot more. Returning to his hometown Osaka and has signed for Cerezo. Not sure he’ll be a starter there, but it probably looked like a better bet than slowly being fazed out with us. Will be dearly missed though as a Frontale legend and a mood maker. Wish him all the best at his new club.
Out on loan
Igarashi Taiyo - Renofa Yamaguchi
Played 36 times last year for Renofa, scoring three times and his loan has been extended for another year. It’s nice to see a player who goes out on loan and actually plays! Only three goals last year, but then again Renofa did only score 37 in total and just about avoided relegation. Think another season will do him well as I can’t imagine he’d be anywhere near involvement with us yet.
Einaga Takatora - Thespakusatsu Gunma
Had half a season on loan at Mito last year where he didn’t quite seem to kick on, mostly being used from the bench. Scored once and got one assist in his 16 appearances which isn’t that bad though. Kind of surprised we’ve loaned him out again as before he first went out on loan he was making it on to the bench quite often. This year he’ll be going to Thespa instead, who flirted with some kind of success last year but ended up in mid-table. Hopefully he can get a bit more pitch time in Gunma than he did in Ibaraki as I think he has a bright future, hopefully for us.
Myogan Toya - Vegalta Sendai
Classic Oniki move for Myogan, Matsunagane and Ozeki, join the first team, don’t get involved that much and then go out on loan the following season. Feel like Myogan never really got a fair crack of the whip so it will be good for him to actually play some football. He came to us with quite a reputation so hopefully can show why he got that reputation and have a blinder of a season at Sendai to give Oniki something to think about. The last player Oniki played a couple of times and then sent to Sendai on loan was Itakura. Perhaps Myogan will also get signed by Man City before he is able to play for us again.
Matsunagane Yuto - Fukushima United
Probably had more involvement than he or us might have expected last year as a defensive injury crisis thrust him into action. Thought he did pretty well when called on, but clearly needs more experience before he gets more involved with us. Hopefully having a manager he knows well, (Terada), at Fukushima United will significantly help his development and we’ll see him back with us soon.
Ozeki Yuto - Fukushima United
Much the same as what I said for Matsunagane, minus the part about him playing football. Plenty of people were saying that Ozeki would be stepping up next year with the departure of Joao Schmidt, but that did seem a bit optimistic for someone who'd only played 13 minutes in the whole of last season. Hopefully Terada can work his magic and kick start Ozeki’s career in 2024.
Back from loan
Miyagi Ten
Slightly surprising to see him back from his loans (Nagasaki and Montedio) and with us again. Miyagi has always seemed to suffer from not quite fulfilling his promise. Although saying that, his figures from last year look good, with him playing a total of 20 games and scoring six times. There was some talk of him not having the smoothest of times on loan, and it is pretty unusual to see someone cut their loan short and then go to a different team mid-season. Perhaps the most significant thing in his stats from last year are the long periods when he wasn’t involved at all. Think it’s probably time for him to show us what he’s made of mentally. We know there’s a great player in there, but the season before last, he didn’t really manage to make the most of his opportunities. Guess there’s something of a make or break feel to his 2024 with us, as I suspect if he leaves us again it won’t be on loan.
Matsui Renji
Loaned out to Machida midway through last season and it seemed to work out pretty well for him. As Machida have signed pretty much a whole new squad it’s a bit difficult to work out if we wanted him back or Machida didn’t want to keep him. Played 17 times for Machida and scored once, and shock of shocks, he was played in midfield when he played for them. Not sure what 2024 holds for him. Oniki has only ever played him at right back and you can’t really say his route into a midfield spot in our team is any easier in 2024 than it was in 2023. But I’m sure he’s benefited from actually playing some matches in his preferred position.
New signings
Erison
24 year old centre forward who it seems we might have paid quite a bit of money for. Signed from Botafogo in Brazil’s top flight where he didn’t play much last year after he had a couple of medium term injuries… Apparently he is something of a potential legend and people are talking about him having a real big impact in the J League. But perhaps we’ve heard that before. Looks very powerful and hopefully can knock in a few goals. Has had a decent goal to game ratio from his time in Brazil, scoring 19 goals in 62 games.
Ze Ricardo
24 year old defensive midfielder signed from Tombense in Brazil’s Serie B. Slightly bizarrely was loaned to a Serie A team and was almost an ever present before returning to Tombense where he hardly played at all. So presumably he felt like it was time for a change. Bit worried that he’s a complete replacement for Joao Schmidt in every way, including the part that him and Tachibanada won’t be able to play together. But there has been some talk of a new system being used next year. (I’ll believe it when I see it). Looks very smiley from the season opening ceremony pictures.
Patrick Verhon
19 year old attacking midfielder joining us from Bahia in Brazil’s top flight. Doesn’t seem to have played for them much though, if at all. Very young still and most of his football seems to have come in U20 teams and competitions, where he scored five goals in seventeen games, which is pretty promising! There’s not much info I can find about him apart from that. Hopefully he can give our attack an injection of excitement when he gets a chance to show us what he can do.
Sai Van Wermeskerken
This signing was talked about for a while but I’m not sure any of us actually expected it to happen. 29 year old right back who has a Dutch father and a Japanese mother, signed from NEC Nijmegen, to fill the gap left by Yamane. Scored an absolute blaster of a goal in his last game in Holland but had been in and out of the team before he left them. Signed for Nijmegen last October, so only spent a short time with them. Hopefully he’ll settle well with us and stay a lot longer.
Yamamoto Yuki
26 year old central midfielder signed from Gamba Osaka from whom he’s made 97 league appearances in the last three seasons. Guess that means he was quite an important player for them. Perhaps he felt like it was time for a change, presumably hoping that our performance in the league last season was a blip more than the start of our decline. I asked @BlogGamba on Twitter for some words on him and this is what he said.
'A fan favourite at Gamba, Yamamoto’s intelligent movement and link up play saw him shine despite his club enduring something of a nightmare last season. Capable of playing anywhere in a midfield 2 or 3, Yamamoto’s vision and versatility go some way to balancing out his defensive inadequacies. He’s more than capable of holding his position in a solid defensive line, but he’s definitely not a ball-winner and while great at starting counter attacks, he’s not much use defending against them. A decent set piece taker, though not as good as Wakizaka, if he adds goals to his game then he’s likely to earn a national team call up at some point in the not too distant future.'
Maruyama Yuichi
We signed a defender!! But much like the signing of Gomis, you could probably say that at 34, he’s not really one for the future. Signed from Nagoya Grampus where he played 160 games and for whom he began last season as a starter. But seemed to fall out of favour after he picked up an injury and presumably lost his place to a younger player. I guess he is the replacement for Yamamura. Interestingly, their names are anagrams too. Well, perhaps that’s interesting. Said he wanted to retire at a Kanto team so jumped at the offer when it was made.
Miura Sota
23 year old left back who we have signed from Ventforet Kofu. Recently received his first call up to the national team, so perhaps this is our route back into having some players who will be busy during the numerous international breaks. Or perhaps he’s ruining his chances of getting picked again by coming to us! Hopefully not. Presumably his arrival was the incentive Nobori needed to move elsewhere. Started last year for Kofu as something of a bit part player but cemented his spot as the season progressed ending up with 21 appearances for them in the league. You’ve got to imagine he’ll be our first choice left back in 2024.
Yui Kota
Signed from our youth team. I’ve seen him play a few times, usually in midfield, but the last time he played in central defence and did a decent job there too, Looks comfortable on the ball and is very much one for the future. Presume he won’t get much of a look in in 2024 before maybe going out on loan the following season. Still only 18, so has plenty of time!
Yamauchi Hinata
Product of our youth team who arrives in the first team via a stint at Toin University, (former team of Yamane, Tachibanada, Yamada, Hayasaka and Issaka Zain). Defensive midfielder, a position we have quite a lot of players in now, which makes me think that he probably won’t get much of a look in next year. But one for the future.
Kanda Soma
18 year old centre forward who joins us from Shizugaku High School. Scored 12 goals in 12 games for them last year in the Prince Takamado U18 Premier League West. Much like with Yui and Yamauchi, I can’t imagine we’ll see much if anything of him next year, but his stats look like he’ll have a promising future.
