Late Tackle

EAST ASIAN SPARKLERS

by
The Late Tackle Magazine Team
2 June 2025

SAM SHEPPEY EXPLAINS WHY FOOTBALL LEAGUE CLUBS ARE INCREASINGLY HONING IN ON PLAYERS FROM JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA...

Yu Hirakawa

THERE are a growing number of East Asian talents in English football, particularly in the EFL.
It is a market that clubs are tapping into more and more – the amount of Japanese and South Korean players featuring in the Championship and League One in the past season was into double figures.
A combination of quality players at realistic prices makes it an enticing option. Here are a handful who shone in 2024-25…

Influential: Ao Tanaka played...

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