Werder Bremen signs Japanese Sugawara: loan deal with purchase option!

Werder Bremen signs Japanese Sugawara: loan deal with purchase option!

SV Werder Bremen has a new right-back in its ranks: Yukinari Sugawara has been signed on a one-year loan from FC Southampton. The 25-year-old Japanese successfully completed his medical check on Monday and can now hope for his first Bundesliga season. This was announced by Peter Niemeyer, the head of professional football at Werder Bremen. The loan also includes a purchase option for the coming summer, which offers the Bremen team strategic flexibility in squad planning. So reported onefootball.

Sugawara brings a lot of experience with him, having previously played around 200 competitive games for AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch league, scoring 14 goals. In 2024 he moved to England to Southampton for a transfer fee of seven million euros, where he played 32 competitive games last season and scored 1 goal. He has come on as a substitute in the first two games of the Championship season so far, but has not yet been able to fully demonstrate his abilities. VfL Wolfsburg also expressed interest in the talented right-back, who also played 15 international matches for Japan football transfers.

Urgent need for action after injuries

The transfer comes at an ideal time for Werder Bremen, as action was required following the injury to Mitchell Weiser, who tore his cruciate ligament. In addition, Maximilian Wöber and Olivier Deman are also not available, so only Felix Agu is currently in the squad as a fit full-back. With Sugawara, the team under coach Horst Steffen not only gets an experienced player, but also someone who can impress with his quality, speed and duel strength.

Sugawara himself is excited about the opportunity to play in the Bundesliga and demonstrate his skills in front of the Bremen fans. The Japanese international will be the fourth new signing of the summer on the Weser, after Maximilian Wöber, Samuel Mbangula and Karl Hein. The Bremen team is working hard to strengthen their squad in order to be well positioned and achieve their goals in the coming season.

Another talent on the way

In addition to Sugawara's signing, Isaac Schmidt's loan move from Leeds United is also nearing completion. Schmidt can play on both defensive flanks and will therefore offer Werder even more options in defense. Together with the previous acquisitions, the entire squad change promises to bring a breath of fresh air to Werder Bremen and delight the fans with appealing football.

onefootball and football transfers make it clear that Werder Bremen will give everything in the coming season to meet the challenges of the league. Whether Sugawara can successfully close the gap caused by the injuries will be seen in the next few weeks.