Tottenham Hotspur defender Kota Takai is still adapting physically to the demands of European football compared to back home in Japan.
Over the summer, Tottenham paid £5m to sign Takai from Kawasaki Frontale following his impressive campaign in the J-League in Japan.
🤔 KEEP or SELL: Should Spurs cash in on Kota Takai next summer?
The defender spent the first half of the season recovering from injury in North London, which means he is yet to make his competitive debut for Spurs.
During the January window, Takai made the shock move to the Bundesliga to join Borussia Monchengladbach on loan, where things are not quite going to plan.
Tottenham Hotspur defender Kota Takai is still very much adapting to European football, sources have informed Alasdair Gold.
The Japanese defender has not had an easy time in Europe since making the switch from the Japanese top division.
The pace and physicality in Europe is much greater than in the J-League, and the 20-year-old is taking his time to find his feet.
MORE SPURS STORIES
“He’s had back-to-back 90-minute appearances now. He played in their Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Freiburg, I think it was away. From people who have watched him, very much still adapting to football in Europe,” Gold told his YouTube channel.
“The J League to the Bundesliga is far more physical and fast. So that’s going to be a big adjustment for him, and you know he’s going to have to get used to that.
How many points will Tottenham take from their next four Premier League matches?
“But again, this is all kind of part of him preparing for potentially being a Spurs player and also don’t forget he was out for a long time with an injury.”
Despite his struggles, the defender is becoming a starter at Gladbach, having played 90 minutes in the last two games when he was available.
Takai’s loan move is quite the contrast to Luka Vuskovic’s at Hamburg, with the young defender proving himself to be one of the best talents in Europe.
Eventually, Takai hopes to show Spurs why they signed him, but for now, he is still very much a work in progress in the Bundesliga.