Huddersfield Town secure signing of 16-cap international

Huddersfield Town have secured the signature of Japan international defender Yuta Nakayama on a free transfer, the West Yorkshire club have confirmed.

The 25-year-old centre-back has put pen-to-paper on a two-year deal with the Terriers to fill the gap that Levi Colwill has left on the left-hand side of the club’s back three, with the youngster not returning on another loan deal from Chelsea.

A fellow left-footer, just like Colwill, Nakayama is also capable of playing at left-back as well as his natural position as a central defender.

Nakayama has 16 international caps for Japan, having made his debut for his country in 2019, which is the same year he made the move to Europe from Kashiwa Reysol to PEC Zwolle.

He featured 79 times in the Eredivisie for Zwolle in the Netherlands, scoring five times, but he became a free agent at the start of the month when his contract came to an end.

Last season’s Championship play-off final runners-up have now added some international experience to their mix in the form of Nakayama, who will not cost anything in terms of a transfer fee.

The Verdict

If Danny Schofield is going to implement the same system that Carlos Corberan did for the majority of last season, then getting a replacement through the door for Levi Colwill was important.

A left-footed, ball-playing defender was needed for that particular spot, and it seems that Huddersfield have found their man in Nakayama.

He brings experience both as an international and being a regular in a decent league such as the Eredivisie, which has in-turn seen him quality for a work permit.

The transition to English football might not come straight away, but on paper this is a good deal for the Terriers.

Source