FC St. Pauli officially confirmed the signing of twice-capped Japanese international Joel Chima Fujita yesterday. The 23-year-old joins his new Bundesliga outfit for a reported €3.5m transfer fee. Hamburg’s Kiezkicker have outpaced larger Bundesliga outfits such as VfB Stuttgart in the quest to secure the Sint-Truidense man’s services. Fujita serves as St. Pauli’s seventh summer signing.
The north Germans just wrapped up their fifth and sixth summer signings last weekend. Fujita’s purchase remains by far the largest outlay of the current transfer window. St. Pauli acquired three new players on frees and shelled out low six-figure-sums for the likes of central defender Jannik Robatsch and goalkeeper Simon Spari.
The local Hamburger Abendblatt reports that another expensive signing is coming. Interesting enough, another Japanese midfielder from another Belgian club is on the way. St. Pauli have apparently reached an agreement with targeted former Kaiserslautern man Daisuke Yokota. The 25-year-old will join St. Pauli from KAA Gent for a €2m transfer fee.
Yokota’s signing is rendered possible by the fact that St. Pauli have pocketed approximately €2m from the sale of winger Elias Saad to Augsburg. Yokota, primarily a deeper midfield actor, can also serve up on the wing.
Given that Fujita works exclusively as a defensive midfielder/sweeper, it might be the case that head coach Alexander Blessin has some attack-minded assignments in mind for Yokota.
“Joel brings an exciting mix of match intelligence, dynamism, and defensive presence,” St. Pauli sporting director Andreas Bornemann noted of his new signing yesterday. “He is technically strong, very well trained, and has already gained international experience despite his young age. We are convinced that he can further develop our game.”
“What particularly impresses me about Joel is the courage and clarity in his game,” Blessin added. “He is extremely active and has a good sense of space. He intercepts balls and has a crisp passing game. This makes him a perfect fit for our style of play.”
“FC St. Pauli is a club with a good reputation,” Fujita himself said. “The talks with the sporting director and coach convinced me that I can bring my strengths to bear here and make my contribution to our joint success. I am very much looking forward to the new team, the city, and above all the fans.”
GGFN | Peter Weis
