Football
Exclusive: Werder Bremen to Make Southampton’s Yukinari Sugawara Move Permanent
Werder Bremen set to make Yukinari Sugawara's loan move permanent for €6million after impressive performances. Southampton to recoup most of the £6million they paid for the Japanese right-back last year. Sugawara, a former wonderkid in Japan, has excelled in the Bundesliga and is a regular for the national team, with eyes set on the World Cup next year.
SV Werder Bremen v FC St. Pauli - Bundesliga by Stuart Franklin | Getty Images
Werder Bremen will make Yukinari Sugawara’s loan move permanent at the end of the season, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
The Southampton right-back is on loan at the German club following their relegation from the Premier League last season.
Bremen have an option to buy the Japan international for €6million and our sources have been told they will trigger the clause unless he suffers a serious injury.
Sugawara has impressed during his short stay in the Bundesliga so far and has started every league game since making the move abroad.
Southampton signed the 25-year-old for £6million and are set to recoup most of the fee they splashed out last year.
Sugawara was signed after the Saints’ promotion back to the top tier and made 17 Premier League starts and 15 more appearances off the bench as the club were finished bottom.
He started the club’s first Championship game of the season, but soon fell down the pecking order under Will Still before being loaned out to Bremen.
Japanese Wonderkid
Sugawara started his career in Japan and was the youngest player in the club’s history to earn a professional deal when he signed terms aged 17 and 10 months.
He went on loan to AZ Alkmaar in the 2019/20 campaign before a permanent move to the club in February 2020.
Sugawara is Alkmaar’s record holder in terms of appearances in European competitions.
He was named Player of the Month in January 2022 and featured in the team of the month three times in a row in the 2023/24 campaign.
His impressive performances in the Dutch leave led to Southampton signing him on a four-year deal.
A regular for the Japan national side, Sagawara will be at next summer’s World Cup with Bremen hoping he is their player by then.
Shane is an experienced sports journalist with over a decade on the front line, covering everything from football to horse racing. A familiar face in the snooker pressroom, his work regularly appears in the Daily Mirror, Daily Express, and Daily Star, alongside SportsBoom.
While snooker is where many readers know him best, cricket is his true sporting passion, though he tends to keep that side of him separate from his professional beat.
A staunch traditionalist, he’s unlikely to share your enthusiasm if you believe The Hundred is the future of Test cricket.