He apparently replayed some situations from the game in his mind and repeatedly shook his head. The defeat visibly gnawed at him, the frustration was almost palpable.
Why are we telling you this again more than half a year later? Because the origin of this rather strange scene lay in a stellar performance by a defender who could soon cause great despair among the likes of Harry Kane, Serhou Guirassy and Deniz Undav in the Bundesliga.
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Borussia Mönchengladbach did not hesitate in 2026 and announced yesterday the transfer of Kōta Takai. The Japanese player arrives on loan to the Foals and arrives with significant praise.
With this transfer, Gladbach secures a young and talented central defender who not only has impressive physical attributes but also notable game intelligence. The 21-year-old, who played for Kawasaki Frontale in the J1 League until his move to Tottenham Hotspur, has established himself as one of Japan’s most promising defensive players in recent years.
His most impressive game for Frontale was in the Asian Champions League against star-studded team Al Nassr. Takai chained one clearing action after another, winning almost 85 percent of his duels and repeatedly shining in the previous plays. Japanese media later said that Takai had “Ronaldo and Mané in his pocket.”
📸 Yasser Bakhsh – 2025 Getty Images
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Now he wants to take the next step in his career in the Lower Rhine.
With his height of 1.92 meters and his athletic build, Takai meets the perfect physical requirements for a modern central defender. Against the ball he stands out for his proactive and aggressive playing style. He loves to intervene at the right moment, disrupt the opponent and win the ball with quick, sliding tackles. This type of defensive play requires precise timing, which Takai has demonstrated repeatedly in his previous appearances. In Japan he played mainly in the defense four but stands out especially for his great tactical versatility. A testimony given by his former Kawasaki Frontale coach, Shigetoshi Hasebe, during a press conference in April.
But it is not only his defensive qualities that make Takai such an interesting player. With the ball at his feet, the Japanese player also shows promising approaches. Particularly noteworthy are his precise diagonal passes in the build-up. Furthermore, Takai, like his compatriot and former Gladbach player Ko Itakura, likes to dribble. It is not a solo run towards the opponent’s area, but rather a controlled transport of the ball in pressure situations or a countermovement against intelligent pressure from the forwards. In terms of player profile, he is quite similar to Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck, only at home he is skilled in the right center position.
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Despite these qualities, the Spurs agreed in the summer on a transfer and, according to ‘RP online’, also a purchase option. This is mainly because Takai has not played a single game for Tottenham. A foot injury during the preseason prevented this and the competition in London is brutal. Thomas Frank can count on four established central defenders with international experience: Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Radu Drăgușin and Kevin Danso.
At Borussia Mönchengladbach, Takai now has the opportunity to develop further in a competitive environment and become a permanent part of the defense. In the past, the club has repeatedly successfully developed young players and Takai could be the next success story in this vein. Coach Eugen Polanski commented very positively on the transfer: “In terms of profile, he is extraordinarily good. But he is still a young player, he comes from a different culture. He hasn’t played for a long time due to injuries. He has quality, but he hasn’t found his rhythm for half a year. We need to get to know him well now.”
If Gladbach’s coaching staff wants first-hand impressions, they could ask Al Nassr and, especially, Cristiano Ronaldo.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
📸 Yasser Bakhsh – 2025 Getty Images