Tottenham’s Kota Takai, who completed a loan move away from North London in the dying stages of the window, is yet to feature for his new club and is not even training with his new teammates.
Spurs loaned out 17 players across the summer window, with many going to EFL sides and others dotted around various European leagues.
Among those is Kota Takai, who completed a season-long loan switch to Belgian side STVV late in the window, without any option to buy.
The 22-year-old defender has not featured for Tottenham since arriving from Kawasaki Frontale a year ago, having suffered some injury setbacks, and he is still waiting for his debut for the Belgian side.
Sint-Truidense VV waiting for paperwork to be completed for Tottenham’s Kota Takai
Since his loan move, STVV have had two matches, including a 4-0 win over La Louvière on Sunday, but the Tottenham man has not been involved in either.
According to Het Belang van Limburg (as relayed by Sport Witness), Takai has not even had a single training session with his new head coach and teammates so far.
This is because the full paperwork for the centre-back’s loan move is not yet in order and has to be sorted out before he is allowed to train or play.
It is revealed that because Takai is a non-EU player who played in a non-EU league, the paperwork is taking longer to sort out, and it is not clear exactly when these formalities will be completed.
STVV are delighted to have Takai on board
STVV are a Japanese-owned club and have a history of having had many Japanese players, which should help the Tottenham man feel at home in his new surroundings.
The Belgian side’s CEO Takayuki Tateishi is convinced Takai is a real coup for the club and will have an ‘important role’ in the team this season.
Meanwhile, STVV head coach Fredéric De Meyer’s, has said that the Spurs defender has the qualities to become a key player for the Japanese national side in the future.