Perth Glory is delighted to confirm the signing of Japanese international defender Kosuke Ota for the A-League 2020/21 Season (subject to medical clearance).
The versatile 33-year-old has chalked up nearly 300 appearances in the J-League over the past 13 years, starring for the likes of Shimizu S-Pulse, FC Tokyo and most recently, Nagoya Grampus.
He also spent two seasons season playing in the Dutch Eredivisie for Vitesse, while at international level, he debuted against Yemen in 2010 and went on to win a further six senior caps, one of which came in a 2014 friendly win over Australia.
Ota, who started out with Yokohama FC, is excited at beginning a new chapter in his illustrious career.
“Glory were very enthusiastic in making their offer to me,” he said.
“They have many young players, the future seems promising and I feel I can support the club with my experience.
“A-League football has been changing from a more physical style to a more tactical one and I can’t wait to join, play in the team and hopefully help bring success to the club in both Australia and Asia.
“I have visited Australia many times and the country is one of my favourites.”
Glory Head Coach Richard Garcia, meanwhile, regards Ota’s capture as a major coup for the club.
“Kosuke is a player of the very highest quality with a wealth of top-level experience and we are extremely pleased to have secured his services,” he said.
“The fact that he can play as a left-back and left wing-back gives us even greater flexibility in terms of our formation and I’m confident that he will be a major contributor this season.”
Club CEO Tony Pignata feels that the defender’s signing also illustrates the scale of Glory’s ambitions.
“We are committed to building upon the success of the past couple of years and bringing players of Kosuke’s quality into the squad is a key part of that commitment,” he said.
“His arrival is another major boost for our 2020/21 squad which features an exciting blend of experience and young WA talent and we know they will do our Members and fans proud when the A-League campaign gets underway on January 16th.”
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