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Johan Lange’s key role revealed as Tottenham Hotspur land Japanese defender Kota Takai

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Rohan Sengupta | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 9:08 AM ET

Tottenham are set to sign Kota Takai in a £5 million deal from Kawasaki Frontale this summer

With Thomas Frank’s arrival marking a new era at N17, Tottenham Hotspur have been working hard to prepare the squad for the new campaign.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has come out boldly and suggested that the club are aiming to win the Premier League and Champions League in the future. This statement will only increase the pressure on Thomas Frank, who is keen to make a mark at the club.

Given the Dane’s reputation of having developed many young talents at his former club Brentford, Daniel Levy would expect the same from his at White Hart Lane which already has a pool of exciting, highly-regarded prospects. And it looks like the North Londoners are on their way to add another young talent to their roster.

As per recent reports, Tottenham have agreed a £5 million deal with Kawasaki Frontale for defender Kota Takai. The likes of Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid were also interested, but the Lilywhites have won the race for the highly-rated Japanese defender in a record deal.

Kota Takai is set to be the club’s second signing of the Thomas Frank era, managed in April. He is on the verge of becoming the record J-League sale for a Japanese player. The 20-year-old is expected to arrive at White Hart Lane next month and will be part of Frank’s first-team squad initially, before a decision is perhaps then taken on his immediate future.

Considered to be one of the most talented young prospects to emerge from Asian football in recent years, Takai is presently in the middle of the J-League season with Kawasaki Frontale. The towering defender has netted two goals in 19 league games, as Kawasaki Frontale lie eighth in the J-League standings.

He has lined up against the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo and his Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr in the semi-final of the AFC Champions League elite earlier this year and kept him out, as Kawasaki Frontale won 3-2. However, Takai’s side were beaten 2-0 by other Saudi side Al-Ahli in the final of the AFC Champions League elite at the start of May.

Football London journalist Alasdair Gold has now revealed that Johan Lange is the man who pushed the signing of Takai from the J-League. The Tottenham technical director believes that the young Japanese is capable of making the step up to the Premier League and following in the footsteps of other youngsters at N17. Meanwhile, Frank is also understood to have given the green light for the club to pursue his signature.

“From what I understand, Johan Lange and his staff identified him as one who could step into the Premier League,” Alasdair Gold said on his YouTube channel.

“They think he can follow in the footsteps of Bergvall, Udogie, and Sarr, players the club have signed over the years and Thomas Frank gave it the green light.”

Takai is a smart, long-term investment from the North London club, but also a player who could do a job for Frank’s side next term, having already made 78 senior appearances at club level and earned four national team caps.

A player with huge potential, this shows why Spurs have agreed to pay £5 million for his services as he will now join Luka Vuskovic and Ashley Phillips in bolstering the club’s defensive ranks this summer.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

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