A defender who left Tottenham Hotspur on a deadline day loan deal has been hailed as the perfect fit for his new club.
Spurs ended the transfer window frantically, with the club filling some of the holes in their squad on deadline day.
Mykhailo Mudryk and Tosin Adarabioyo arrived through the door from Chelsea, while Kevin Danso and Pape Sarr were the biggest exits on Tuesday.
However, another youngster, who featured prominently in pre-season, also sealed a loan move away from the club to a top-flight European league.
Tottenham’s Kota Takai hailed as perfect signing for Sint-Truidense V.V.
Kota Takai completed a season-long loan switch to Belgian side STVV, who have no option to buy the centre-back.
The 21-year-old is joining a club with Japanese owners and one which has a history of having many Japanese players, which will make the youngster feel at home.
STVV’s CEO Takayuki Tateishi is over the moon that the club have managed to secure Takai, insisting that the Tottenham loanee is exactly the profile they needed.
Tateishi told Star Sport TV: “Kota is an enormously talented central defender who masters all facets of modern football. He has excellent game intelligence and is two-footed. Add to that his aerial qualities, and you have the ideal profile for our defence. We are extremely pleased that he has chosen to further develop his career in Sint-Truiden.
“He attracted a lot of interest but decided, in consultation with his parent club Tottenham Hotspur, to make the move to Haspengouw. We are convinced that Kota will play an important role in this historic season.”
Takai believes he can thrive at STVV
The Tottenham defender, who has had plenty of injury issues over the last 12 months, is still waiting for his Spurs debut, having spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach.
The youngster is excited to kickstart his new adventure in Belgium, and he believes STVV’s style of play will suit his game.
Takai said regarding his loan switch: “I am joining STVV in a team that knows very clearly how it wants to play football. In Antwerp (1-4), I saw a lot of energy, guts, and confidence in the team.
“That suits my playing style. I have already played with Shogo Taniguchi at Kawasaki Frontale and the Japanese national team. I look forward to continuing to grow together with him and my new teammates and achieving great results.”