Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Japanese J1 League
11 Sep 2028
Monday
Process
110 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

4 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Sota Nakamura is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.53 with 22 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Market

Takuma Asano wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Sanfrecce Hiroshima hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Squad

Sota Nakamura stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Sota Nakamura and Sanfrecce Hiroshima agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima find a way past Avispa Fukuoka

Avispa Fukuoka made Sanfrecce Hiroshima work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Sho Sasaki

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Boardroom

Sanfrecce Hiroshima release $4.8M for the manager

The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.

In brief

Back issues
109 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

28 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima up to position 1

56 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Sota Nakamura

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Yokohama F. Marinos take a point apiece

It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Squad

Takuma Asano is carrying Sanfrecce Hiroshima

4 goals and a season average of 7.24. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

Hayao Kawabe has to sit this one out

A booking nobody needed, on a night the game was already won. Sanfrecce Hiroshima lose a player for the most avoidable reason there is.

Market

Keisuke Osako linked with a move away

The name of Keisuke Osako keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

108 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

21 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Triumph

Market

Hapoel Acre come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Sanfrecce Hiroshima did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Sean Nealis: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Sanfrecce Hiroshima have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Harumi Minamino is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima find a way past Albirex Niigata

Albirex Niigata made Sanfrecce Hiroshima work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Ryo Germain is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.30 with 9 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Fallou Fall gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

No place for Sho Sasaki on the big day

He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

Market

The Hayato Araki talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Gaku Morita arrives on loan

Sanfrecce Hiroshima have taken Gaku Morita on loan from Nagoya Grampus — cover where cover was needed.

In brief

107 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

14 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Sota Nakamura is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.61 with 21 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Market

Issam Jebali asks to leave Sanfrecce Hiroshima

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Sanfrecce Hiroshima sell Sota Koshimichi for $670.0K

Sota Koshimichi has left for Yokohama F. Marinos in a $670.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Market

Naoto Arai moves on

Gamba Osaka pay $520.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima find a way past Kawasaki Frontale

Kawasaki Frontale made Sanfrecce Hiroshima work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mutsuki Kato

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

106 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

7 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Sota Nakamura is carrying Sanfrecce Hiroshima

19 goals and a season average of 7.59. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

Marcos Junior says Sanfrecce Hiroshima went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Makoto Mitsuta wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Sanfrecce Hiroshima hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Market

Motoki Ohara moves on

Kashiwa Reysol pay $1.2M, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

Squad

Fallou Fall signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Fallou Fall commits to Sanfrecce Hiroshima for another 4 years.

Match

Sagan Tosu take the points off Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Darren Yapi

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Gamba Osaka expected to open talks for Naoto Arai

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Sanfrecce Hiroshima will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Boardroom

Sanfrecce Hiroshima release $4.8M for the manager

The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.

In brief

105 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

31 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima march on in the cup

Kashima Antlers are out and Sanfrecce Hiroshima go through, 2-1 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.

Squad

Keisuke Osako keeps Sanfrecce Hiroshima in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima up to position 2

49 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

Sota Nakamura is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.56 with 18 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Market

Sanfrecce Hiroshima sign Gaku Nawata for $1.9M

The paperwork is done: Gaku Nawata joins from Gamba Osaka in a deal worth $1.9M. Now comes the harder part.

Market

Sagan Tosu come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Sanfrecce Hiroshima did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima make it 3 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Sanfrecce Hiroshima have 3 straight wins of it.

Market

Sanfrecce Hiroshima sell Yotaro Nakajima for $1.1M

Yotaro Nakajima has left for Kawasaki Frontale in a $1.1M deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Market

Naoto Arai attracts admirers

The name of Naoto Arai has come up in conversations Sanfrecce Hiroshima were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

In brief

104 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

24 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

No mercy from Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Gamba Osaka will want this one forgotten quickly: 3-0, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Sanfrecce Hiroshima were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Keisuke Osako

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

Sota Nakamura is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.47 with 16 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Market

Sanfrecce Hiroshima turn down Avispa Fukuoka for Sota Koshimichi

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Yotaro Nakajima attracts admirers

The name of Yotaro Nakajima has come up in conversations Sanfrecce Hiroshima were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

Akito Suzuki gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Keisuke Osako talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Issam Jebali is free to find somewhere else

“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Sanfrecce Hiroshima has been clear about where Issam Jebali stands, which is more than many ever get.

Squad

Maya Nakamura knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

103 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

17 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

David Veliz asks to leave Sanfrecce Hiroshima

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Issei Ouchi

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Market

Takaaki Shichi has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Sanfrecce Hiroshima they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Shunki Higashi

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Hayato Araki linked with a move away

The name of Hayato Araki keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima draw a blank against Kashima Antlers

The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Kashima Antlers defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.

In brief

102 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

10 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Sota Koshimichi has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Sanfrecce Hiroshima they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima get the job done against Nagoya Grampus

A 1-0 win over Nagoya Grampus, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Fallou Fall gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Ryo Germain is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.22 with 7 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Shunki Higashi asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

Ryo Germain linked with a move away

The name of Ryo Germain keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

101 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

3 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima up to position 2

39 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

Issei Ouchi keeps Sanfrecce Hiroshima in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

Naoto Arai has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Sanfrecce Hiroshima they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Sota Nakamura is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.42 with 14 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima see off Urawa Reds

Three points for Sanfrecce Hiroshima, 2-0 the final word against Urawa Reds in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Boardroom

$4.8M on the table at Sanfrecce Hiroshima

The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Naoto Arai

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Shunki Higashi knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

The Shuto Nakano talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

100 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

26 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

A bad afternoon for Sanfrecce Hiroshima against Vissel Kobe

1-2 to Vissel Kobe, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Shuto Nakano gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Keisuke Osako talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

99 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

19 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima find a way past Vegalta Sendai

Vegalta Sendai made Sanfrecce Hiroshima work for it, but the scoreboard read 3-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Sho Sasaki gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Mutsuki Kato finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Market

Hayato Araki linked with a move away

The name of Hayato Araki keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Akito Suzuki knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

Somebody is after Sho Sasaki’s shirt

A new face in his position, and Sho Sasaki suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.

In brief

  • The terraces They were still singing at the end
  • The terraces The press cannot get enough of Mutsuki Kato
  • The terraces Mutsuki Kato has his own song now
98 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

12 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Takaaki Shichi is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Omiya Ardija take the points off Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

Ryo Germain gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Makoto Mitsuta knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

Keisuke Osako called up by his country

A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Sanfrecce Hiroshima that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.

Squad

International call for Sota Nakamura

Sota Nakamura joins up with his country. Sanfrecce Hiroshima lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.

In brief

97 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

5 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Still nobody has beaten Sanfrecce Hiroshima

The unbeaten run reaches 18. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima up to position 2

33 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Market

Takuma Asano wants more than Sanfrecce Hiroshima are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Squad

Sota Nakamura is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.42 with 14 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Makoto Mitsuta stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Makoto Mitsuta and Sanfrecce Hiroshima agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Keisuke Osako gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

The month belongs to Sota Nakamura

The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.

Boardroom

$4.8M on the table at Sanfrecce Hiroshima

The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.

Match

Honours even between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and FC Tokyo

1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

In brief

96 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

29 May 2028
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima through in the cup

A 1-0 win over Gamba Osaka, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima make it 4 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Sanfrecce Hiroshima have 4 straight wins of it.

Squad

Sota Nakamura is carrying Sanfrecce Hiroshima

13 goals and a season average of 7.39. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima see off Shonan Bellmare

Three points for Sanfrecce Hiroshima, 2-1 the final word against Shonan Bellmare in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Hayao Kawabe gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Keisuke Osako talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

A first senior shirt for Maya Nakamura

Every debut is a small story about the future: Maya Nakamura, 18 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.

Squad

David Veliz finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

The terraces

The spotlight tightens on Filip Uremovic

Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.

In brief

95 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

22 May 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

15 unbeaten for Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 15 matches without defeat is a foundation Sanfrecce Hiroshima did not have in the autumn.

Squad

Sanfrecce Hiroshima lose Shunki Higashi

16 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Sota Nakamura is carrying Sanfrecce Hiroshima

11 goals and a season average of 7.32. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima get the job done against Jubilo Iwata

A 1-0 win over Jubilo Iwata, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mitsuki Hidaka

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Hayato Araki linked with a move away

The name of Hayato Araki keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

94 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

15 May 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

14 unbeaten for Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 14 matches without defeat is a foundation Sanfrecce Hiroshima did not have in the autumn.

Market

Takaaki Shichi is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima see off Kashiwa Reysol

Three points for Sanfrecce Hiroshima, 2-0 the final word against Kashiwa Reysol in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Sota Nakamura is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.27 with 10 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Takaaki Shichi out for 38 days

The medical room confirms 38 days on the sidelines for Takaaki Shichi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Fallou Fall gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Ryo Germain linked with a move away

The name of Ryo Germain keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Takuma Asano wants a proper job in this side

Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Takuma Asano has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know, and have known for weeks.

Market

Sota Koshimichi runs his contract down

7 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Sanfrecce Hiroshima money.

In brief

93 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

8 May 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

13 unbeaten for Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 13 matches without defeat is a foundation Sanfrecce Hiroshima did not have in the autumn.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 23 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Squad

Sho Sasaki signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Sho Sasaki commits to Sanfrecce Hiroshima for another 2 years.

Boardroom

$4.8M on the table at Sanfrecce Hiroshima

The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Kim Jusung

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Honours even between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Avispa Fukuoka

1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Squad

Akito Suzuki finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Market

The Shuto Nakano talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

David Veliz asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

92 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

1 May 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

12 unbeaten for Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 12 matches without defeat is a foundation Sanfrecce Hiroshima did not have in the autumn.

Market

David Veliz hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Sanfrecce Hiroshima can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Makoto Mitsuta wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Sanfrecce Hiroshima hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Squad

Sota Nakamura is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.23 with 8 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima share the spoils with Yokohama F. Marinos

A 2-2 draw with Yokohama F. Marinos leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

Marcos Junior gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

91 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

24 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

11 unbeaten for Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 11 matches without defeat is a foundation Sanfrecce Hiroshima did not have in the autumn.

Squad

Shunki Higashi out for 51 days

The medical room confirms 51 days on the sidelines for Shunki Higashi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Akito Suzuki

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

90 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

17 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Keisuke Osako keeps Sanfrecce Hiroshima in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Match

10 unbeaten for Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 10 matches without defeat is a foundation Sanfrecce Hiroshima did not have in the autumn.

Market

Takaaki Shichi is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima get the job done against Kawasaki Frontale

A 2-1 win over Kawasaki Frontale, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Takaaki Shichi out for 68 days

The medical room confirms 68 days on the sidelines for Takaaki Shichi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Fallou Fall gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Ryo Germain linked with a move away

The name of Ryo Germain keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Ryo Germain unhappy with how he is being used

Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Ryo Germain has let it be known that he does not like the way Sanfrecce Hiroshima are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.

The terraces

The press have found their man in Mutsuki Kato

Column inches are not points, but a footballer whose name keeps appearing for the right reasons is a footballer whose price has just gone up.

In brief

89 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

10 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

9 unbeaten for Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 9 matches without defeat is a foundation Sanfrecce Hiroshima did not have in the autumn.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Naoto Arai

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima share the spoils with Sagan Tosu

A 1-1 draw with Sagan Tosu leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

In brief

88 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

3 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

8 unbeaten for Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 8 matches without defeat is a foundation Sanfrecce Hiroshima did not have in the autumn.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima get the job done against Ventforet Kofu

A 2-1 win over Ventforet Kofu, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Ryo Germain named player of the month

The award goes to Ryo Germain, and nobody around here is inclined to argue with the choice.

Boardroom

Sanfrecce Hiroshima release $4.8M for the manager

The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Daiki Suga

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Hayao Kawabe loses the armband

The captaincy has been taken off Hayao Kawabe. Sanfrecce Hiroshima will call it a decision about the team; a dressing room reads it as a verdict on a man.

Squad

Takuma Asano finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Market

The Keisuke Osako talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

The terraces

The press cannot get enough of Takuma Asano

Praise is not points and never has been. It is, however, the fastest way for a valuation to move, and everybody in the game reads the same pages.

In brief

87 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

27 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Yotaro Nakajima says Sanfrecce Hiroshima went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Sanfrecce Hiroshima lose Shunki Higashi

82 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Match

7 unbeaten for Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Sanfrecce Hiroshima did not have in the autumn.

In brief

86 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

20 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima cannot stop winning

5 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.

Market

Takaaki Shichi is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima see off Kashima Antlers

Three points for Sanfrecce Hiroshima, 3-2 the final word against Kashima Antlers in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Sanfrecce Hiroshima lose Takaaki Shichi

103 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Filip Uremovic gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

International call for Sota Nakamura

Sota Nakamura joins up with his country. Sanfrecce Hiroshima lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.

In brief

85 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

13 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Fallou Fall: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Sanfrecce Hiroshima have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

David Veliz asks to leave Sanfrecce Hiroshima

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima cannot stop winning

4 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima find a way past Nagoya Grampus

Nagoya Grampus made Sanfrecce Hiroshima work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Motoki Ohara gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Ryo Germain finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

In brief

84 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

6 Mar 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Takuma Asano wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Sanfrecce Hiroshima hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima cannot stop winning

3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.

Squad

Hayato Araki signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Hayato Araki commits to Sanfrecce Hiroshima for another 3 years.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima find a way past Urawa Reds

Urawa Reds made Sanfrecce Hiroshima work for it, but the scoreboard read 3-2 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Fallou Fall gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Makoto Mitsuta finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Squad

Sota Nakamura is off the mark for Sanfrecce Hiroshima

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

Market

The Keisuke Osako talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

The window shut and Sota Koshimichi is still in the building

Sanfrecce Hiroshima spent a month trying to move him and nobody rang back. He trains with a squad that has told him where he stands, and both sides start counting down to the next one.

In brief

83 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

28 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Shunki Higashi out for 115 days

The medical room confirms 115 days on the sidelines for Shunki Higashi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Squad

Shuto Nakano stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Shuto Nakano and Sanfrecce Hiroshima agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima find a way past Vissel Kobe

Vissel Kobe made Sanfrecce Hiroshima work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Costly mistake from Keisuke Osako

An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Keisuke Osako knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mitsuki Hidaka

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Hayato Araki linked with a move away

The name of Hayato Araki keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

  • Market The window shut and Naoto Arai is still in the building
  • The terraces The press have found their man in Hayato Araki
  • The terraces The stand has a song for Hayato Araki
82 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

21 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Takaaki Shichi is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Boardroom

A new deal for Daichi Nakamura

The board have signed the man in the dugout to a longer contract, which says more than any statement of support. Stability is easy to promise and costly to keep.

Market

Hajime Miyoshi is a Sanfrecce Hiroshima player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

Yosuke Kamada is a Sanfrecce Hiroshima player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

Gaku Kamada is a Sanfrecce Hiroshima player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Squad

Takaaki Shichi out for 136 days

The medical room confirms 136 days on the sidelines for Takaaki Shichi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

In brief

81 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

14 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Sean Nealis asks to leave Sanfrecce Hiroshima

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Akito Suzuki knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

The Ryo Germain talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

80 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

7 Feb 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima up to position 3

59 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Market

Sota Koshimichi hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Sanfrecce Hiroshima can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Makoto Mitsuta wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Sanfrecce Hiroshima hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Boardroom

Sanfrecce Hiroshima release $2.8M for the manager

The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Issam Jebali

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

The Keisuke Osako talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

79 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

31 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Naoto Arai hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Sanfrecce Hiroshima can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

David Veliz gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Shuto Nakano talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

78 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

24 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

The Hayato Araki talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Naoto Arai placed on the list

Sanfrecce Hiroshima have made Naoto Arai available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.

Squad

Filip Uremovic asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

77 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

17 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Sagan Tosu come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Sanfrecce Hiroshima did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Market

Kosuke Kinoshita moves on

Urawa Reds pay $260.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Marcos Junior

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Sota Koshimichi told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Sota Koshimichi has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Squad

Somebody is after Hayato Araki’s shirt

A new face in his position, and Hayato Araki suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.

Market

The Ryo Germain talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

76 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

10 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima up to position 3

59 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Market

Takaaki Shichi asks to leave Sanfrecce Hiroshima

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Naoto Arai told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Naoto Arai has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Market

The Keisuke Osako talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Hayato Araki has company in his position

The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Hayato Araki keeps the shirt for now, at Sanfrecce Hiroshima's convenience rather than his own.

Squad

Marcos Junior asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

75 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

3 Jan 2028
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Issei Ouchi says Sanfrecce Hiroshima went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Boardroom

Sanfrecce Hiroshima release $2.8M for the manager

The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.

Squad

Mitsuki Hidaka gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Shuto Nakano linked with a move away

The name of Shuto Nakano keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Market

The clock runs on Sota Koshimichi's contract

11 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.

Squad

Naoto Arai asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

74 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

27 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Hidemasa Hasebe out for 42 days

The medical room confirms 42 days on the sidelines for Hidemasa Hasebe, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

Market

Hayato Araki linked with a move away

The name of Hayato Araki keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Loan watch

4 goals on loan for Akito Suzuki

28 appearances at Kashima Antlers and the goals keep coming. Sanfrecce Hiroshima are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

In brief

73 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

20 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Ryo Germain linked with a move away

The name of Ryo Germain keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Keisuke Osako keeps his manager's vote

The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Keisuke Osako plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.

Boardroom

Sanfrecce Hiroshima board back the manager

A public word of support from the board and, more usefully, an understanding about what the next window will look like.

72 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

13 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 59 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Market

Keisuke Osako linked with a move away

The name of Keisuke Osako keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

David Veliz asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

71 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

6 Dec 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Boardroom

Continental nights are coming to Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Qualification is secured, and next season the big floodlit nights are continental ones. For the players it is a stage; for the accounts it is a lifeline; for the supporters it is passports.

Market

Takuma Asano wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Sanfrecce Hiroshima hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Boardroom

Sanfrecce Hiroshima release $2.8M for the manager

The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.

Market

Shuto Nakano linked with a move away

The name of Shuto Nakano keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Loan watch

Sota Koshimichi first choice at Jubilo Iwata

28 starts and a season average of 6.75. The loan is doing exactly what it was arranged to do.

Squad

Filip Uremovic asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

70 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

29 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

The manager makes an example of Marcos Junior

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Hayato Araki linked with a move away

The name of Hayato Araki keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Filip Uremovic knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

69 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

22 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Marcos Junior says Sanfrecce Hiroshima went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Issam Jebali

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Ryo Germain linked with a move away

The name of Ryo Germain keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

68 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

15 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 59 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Market

Keisuke Osako linked with a move away

The name of Keisuke Osako keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Loan watch

Naoto Arai first choice at Urawa Reds

30 starts and a season average of 6.72. The loan is doing exactly what it was arranged to do.

In brief

67 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

8 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Sanfrecce Hiroshima lose Keisuke Osako

14 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Boardroom

Sanfrecce Hiroshima release $2.8M for the manager

The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.

Market

Shuto Nakano linked with a move away

The name of Shuto Nakano keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Loan watch

Sota Koshimichi first choice at Jubilo Iwata

28 starts and a season average of 6.75. The loan is doing exactly what it was arranged to do.

Squad

Issei Ouchi asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Squad

Hayato Araki keeps his manager's vote

The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Hayato Araki plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.

In brief

66 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

1 Nov 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Makoto Mitsuta wants more than Sanfrecce Hiroshima are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Market

Hayato Araki linked with a move away

The name of Hayato Araki keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Loan watch

4 goals on loan for Akito Suzuki

28 appearances at Kashima Antlers and the goals keep coming. Sanfrecce Hiroshima are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

In brief

65 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

25 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

David Veliz: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Sanfrecce Hiroshima have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Kim Jusung gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Ryo Germain linked with a move away

The name of Ryo Germain keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

64 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

18 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 59 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Squad

Harumi Minamino: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Sanfrecce Hiroshima have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Tsukasa Shiotani

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

63 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

11 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima find a way past Vegalta Sendai

Vegalta Sendai made Sanfrecce Hiroshima work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Mutsuki Kato is carrying Sanfrecce Hiroshima

6 goals and a season average of 7.38. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Sho Sasaki

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Iván Ramírez suspended

One booking too many, and Iván Ramírez sits out. Sanfrecce Hiroshima lose him for the sort of avoidable reason that makes a manager's week longer.

Market

Shuto Nakano linked with a move away

The name of Shuto Nakano keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Keisuke Osako called up by his country

A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Sanfrecce Hiroshima that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.

In brief

62 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

4 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

5 matches without a win for Sanfrecce Hiroshima

The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Sanfrecce Hiroshima are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Sho Sasaki signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Sho Sasaki commits to Sanfrecce Hiroshima for another 2 years.

Squad

Makoto Mitsuta gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Boardroom

$2.8M on the table at Sanfrecce Hiroshima

The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.

Squad

Sho Sasaki is carrying Sanfrecce Hiroshima

6 goals and a season average of 7.24. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

Sho Sasaki asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

61 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

27 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Keisuke Osako

There were 9 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Match

4 matches without a win for Sanfrecce Hiroshima

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Sanfrecce Hiroshima are no longer polite ones.

Match

FC Tokyo take the points off Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

Mutsuki Kato is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.32 with 5 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Kosuke Kinoshita

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Sho Sasaki has to sit this one out

A booking nobody needed, on a night the game was already won. Sanfrecce Hiroshima lose a player for the most avoidable reason there is.

In brief

60 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

20 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima up to position 2

55 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

Sho Sasaki left out for the big one

A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Sho Sasaki will call it something else in private.

Squad

David Veliz gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Sota Nakamura is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.33 with 1 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Shunki Higashi suspended

One booking too many, and Shunki Higashi sits out. Sanfrecce Hiroshima lose him for the sort of avoidable reason that makes a manager's week longer.

Market

Keisuke Osako linked with a move away

The name of Keisuke Osako keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

59 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

13 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima come up short against Jubilo Iwata

Jubilo Iwata left with the points after a 0-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

Filip Uremovic gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Shuto Nakano linked with a move away

The name of Shuto Nakano keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

The terraces

The spotlight tightens on Filip Uremovic

Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.

Loan watch

Sota Koshimichi first choice at Jubilo Iwata

24 starts and a season average of 6.71. The loan is doing exactly what it was arranged to do.

Squad

The manager comes out for Hayao Kawabe

Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Hayao Kawabe has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.

In brief

58 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

6 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Tsukasa Shiotani: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Sanfrecce Hiroshima have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Ordabasy come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Sanfrecce Hiroshima did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Market

Takuma Asano wants more than Sanfrecce Hiroshima are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Loan watch

Yotaro Nakajima has seen enough of Urawa Reds

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and 1 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.

Match

Kashiwa Reysol take the points off Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Beaten 0-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

Sho Sasaki gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Sho Sasaki is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.29 with 6 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Boardroom

$2.8M on the table at Sanfrecce Hiroshima

The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.

Market

Hayato Araki linked with a move away

The name of Hayato Araki keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

57 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

30 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

No mercy from Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Avispa Fukuoka will want this one forgotten quickly: 3-0, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Sanfrecce Hiroshima were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.

Match

6 unbeaten for Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Sanfrecce Hiroshima did not have in the autumn.

Squad

Sanfrecce Hiroshima lose Issam Jebali

36 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Mutsuki Kato is carrying Sanfrecce Hiroshima

5 goals and a season average of 7.33. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Kosuke Kinoshita

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Hayato Araki has company in his position

The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Hayato Araki keeps the shirt for now, at Sanfrecce Hiroshima's convenience rather than his own.

Market

Ryo Germain linked with a move away

The name of Ryo Germain keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Market

Mitsuki Hidaka joins Sanfrecce Hiroshima on a free

No fee and no drama: Mitsuki Hidaka has signed at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and the wage bill is the only line that moved.

Market

Window shut, Harumi Minamino still here

Sanfrecce Hiroshima spent the window trying to move Harumi Minamino on and nobody came. He trains with a squad that has already told him he is not part of it, and both sides now wait for the next one.

In brief

56 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

23 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima are in among the leaders

Position 1 and 51 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Squad

Iván Ramírez gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Ordabasy are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Sanfrecce Hiroshima will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Squad

Sota Nakamura is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.33 with 1 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima draw a blank against Yokohama F. Marinos

The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Yokohama F. Marinos defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.

Market

Keisuke Osako linked with a move away

The name of Keisuke Osako keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

55 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

16 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

3 goals for Iván Ramírez

The match ball belongs to Iván Ramírez, whose 3 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.

Squad

Kim Jusung says Sanfrecce Hiroshima went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Iván Ramírez is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.20 with 20 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Market

Ordabasy watching Harumi Minamino

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima see off Albirex Niigata

Three points for Sanfrecce Hiroshima, 3-1 the final word against Albirex Niigata in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

No place for Sho Sasaki on the big day

He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.

Market

Takaaki Shichi told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Takaaki Shichi has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Market

Shuto Nakano linked with a move away

The name of Shuto Nakano keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Market

Talks stall between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Filip Uremovic

“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.

In brief

54 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

9 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

David Veliz is a Sanfrecce Hiroshima player

The fee is $6.5M, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Güemes drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.

Market

Urawa Reds come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Sanfrecce Hiroshima did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Sean Nealis stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Sean Nealis and Sanfrecce Hiroshima agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Keisuke Osako gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Kosuke Kinoshita told to find a new club

“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Kosuke Kinoshita has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima share the spoils with Kawasaki Frontale

A 1-1 draw with Kawasaki Frontale leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

In brief

53 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

2 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Keisuke Osako

There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Market

Taishi Matsumoto moves on

Gamba Osaka pay $1.9M, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

Market

Makoto Mitsuta wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Sanfrecce Hiroshima hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Squad

Sean Nealis signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Sean Nealis commits to Sanfrecce Hiroshima for another 3 years.

Market

Sanfrecce Hiroshima sell Yudai Tanaka for $110.0K

Yudai Tanaka has left for Vissel Kobe in a $110.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.

Market

Urawa Reds watching Motoki Ohara

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima see off Sagan Tosu

Three points for Sanfrecce Hiroshima, 1-0 the final word against Sagan Tosu in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Sho Sasaki is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.28 with 6 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Boardroom

Sanfrecce Hiroshima release $2.8M for the manager

The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.

In brief

52 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

26 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima are in among the leaders

Position 1 and 43 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Squad

Sean Nealis gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Gamba Osaka expected to open talks for Taishi Matsumoto

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Sanfrecce Hiroshima will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

In brief

51 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

19 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima come up short against Gamba Osaka

Gamba Osaka left with the points after a 1-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

Tsukasa Shiotani gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

The terraces

Everybody has an opinion about Keisuke Osako

He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.

Squad

Sota Nakamura is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.28 with 1 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Market

Shuto Nakano linked with a move away

The name of Shuto Nakano keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Takuma Asano wants a proper job in this side

Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Takuma Asano has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know, and have known for weeks.

In brief

50 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

12 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima find a way past Kashima Antlers

Kashima Antlers made Sanfrecce Hiroshima work for it, but the scoreboard read 3-2 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Hayato Araki gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Costly mistake from Issei Ouchi

An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Issei Ouchi knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.

Squad

Mutsuki Kato is carrying Sanfrecce Hiroshima

3 goals and a season average of 7.26. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Market

The Ryo Germain talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Loan watch

Akito Suzuki keeps scoring at Kashima Antlers

15 appearances away from home and 4 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

In brief

49 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

5 Jul 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Loan watch

Daiki Suga wants to come home

“I did not go to Kashiwa Reysol to sit and watch. I want to come back to Sanfrecce Hiroshima and fight for my place.” 6 appearances in 25 matches say the rest.

Squad

Sho Sasaki is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.30 with 6 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Boardroom

Sanfrecce Hiroshima release $2.8M for the manager

The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.

Match

Honours even between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Nagoya Grampus

2-2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Taishi Matsumoto

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

The Hayato Araki talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Is this Marcos Junior’s last season?

“I will know when it is time. I am not there yet.” Marcos Junior is 34, with 22 appearances behind him, and Sanfrecce Hiroshima will have to plan for whichever answer comes.

Squad

Issei Ouchi has taken the shirt

At 26 he is in the side on merit and somebody else is watching from the bench. Places at Sanfrecce Hiroshima are won quietly and lost loudly.

The terraces

Everybody has an opinion about Motoki Ohara

He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.

In brief

48 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

28 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima up to position 1

38 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Squad

Iván Ramírez takes the match ball home

3 goals in one afternoon from one man. The other players were also present, a witness confirmed.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima get the job done against Urawa Reds

A 3-2 win over Urawa Reds, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Sean Nealis gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Keisuke Osako linked with a move away

The name of Keisuke Osako keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Filip Uremovic knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

47 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

21 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

The manager makes an example of Iván Ramírez

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

A bad afternoon for Sanfrecce Hiroshima against Vissel Kobe

0-1 to Vissel Kobe, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

Sota Nakamura is carrying Sanfrecce Hiroshima

1 goals and a season average of 7.29. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Market

Shuto Nakano linked with a move away

The name of Shuto Nakano keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Filip Uremovic asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Loan watch

3 goals on loan for Akito Suzuki

12 appearances at Kashima Antlers and the goals keep coming. Sanfrecce Hiroshima are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

In brief

46 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

14 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Still nobody has beaten Sanfrecce Hiroshima

The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima find a way past Vegalta Sendai

Vegalta Sendai made Sanfrecce Hiroshima work for it, but the scoreboard read 3-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Marcos Junior

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Issei Ouchi lets one through his hands

A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.

Squad

Mutsuki Kato is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.25 with 3 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Benjamín González asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

The Ryo Germain talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

The terraces

The press have found their man in Iván Ramírez

Column inches are not points, but a footballer whose name keeps appearing for the right reasons is a footballer whose price has just gone up.

Loan watch

Daiki Suga is watching from the bench at Kashiwa Reysol

5 appearances out of 22. He went for the football and has ended up with a season of Saturdays spent in a tracksuit.

In brief

45 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

7 Jun 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Takuma Asano wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Sanfrecce Hiroshima hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Squad

Sho Sasaki is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.30 with 6 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

The month belongs to Iván Ramírez

The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Omiya Ardija take a point apiece

It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Market

The Hayato Araki talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Benjamín González knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

44 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

31 May 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima are in among the leaders

Position 1 and 31 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima out of the cup

Gamba Osaka ended it 1-1. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.

Squad

Keisuke Osako is the hero from the spot

A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Keisuke Osako: 1 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima get the job done against FC Tokyo

A 1-0 win over FC Tokyo, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Hayao Kawabe

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

The terraces

The spotlight tightens on Keisuke Osako

Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.

In brief

43 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

24 May 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Tsukasa Shiotani gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Shonan Bellmare take a point apiece

It finished 2-2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Market

Shuto Nakano linked with a move away

The name of Shuto Nakano keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

42 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

17 May 2027
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima see off Jubilo Iwata

Three points for Sanfrecce Hiroshima, 2-1 the final word against Jubilo Iwata in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

Keisuke Osako gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Sho Sasaki is carrying Sanfrecce Hiroshima

5 goals and a season average of 7.29. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Market

The Ryo Germain talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Kosuke Kinoshita asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Squad

The manager comes out for Takuma Asano

Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Takuma Asano has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.

In brief

41 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

10 May 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

The manager makes an example of Iván Ramírez

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima come up short against Kashiwa Reysol

Kashiwa Reysol left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Squad

Mutsuki Kato is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.20 with 3 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

In brief

40 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

3 May 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima up to position 1

24 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima cannot stop winning

4 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.

Market

Makoto Mitsuta wants more than Sanfrecce Hiroshima are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima find a way past Avispa Fukuoka

Avispa Fukuoka made Sanfrecce Hiroshima work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Loan watch

Daiki Suga wants to come home

“I did not go to Kashiwa Reysol to sit and watch. I want to come back to Sanfrecce Hiroshima and fight for my place.” 4 appearances in 16 matches say the rest.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Hayao Kawabe

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Loan watch

Akito Suzuki: I did not sign for Sanfrecce Hiroshima to play for other people

“Every summer it is another club, another set of team-mates, another manager to convince. I have done all that. Now I want a pre-season at Sanfrecce Hiroshima and a proper look at me.” He remains Kashima Antlers’s player until the spell runs out — but the argument is with the club that owns him.

Squad

Marcos Junior knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

Keisuke Osako linked with a move away

The name of Keisuke Osako keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

39 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

26 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima make it 3 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Sanfrecce Hiroshima have 3 straight wins of it.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima see off Yokohama F. Marinos

Three points for Sanfrecce Hiroshima, 2-1 the final word against Yokohama F. Marinos in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Sean Nealis

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Loan watch

Akito Suzuki wants to come home

“I did not go to Kashima Antlers to sit and watch. I want to come back to Sanfrecce Hiroshima and fight for my place.” 4 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.

Squad

Sho Sasaki is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.20 with 4 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Market

Shuto Nakano linked with a move away

The name of Shuto Nakano keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Sota Nakamura unhappy with how he is being used

Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Sota Nakamura has let it be known that he does not like the way Sanfrecce Hiroshima are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.

Loan watch

Akito Suzuki keeps scoring at Kashima Antlers

4 appearances away from home and 2 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

The terraces

The press cannot get enough of Iván Ramírez

Praise is not points and never has been. It is, however, the fastest way for a valuation to move, and everybody in the game reads the same pages.

In brief

38 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

19 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Takaaki Shichi says Sanfrecce Hiroshima went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Sanfrecce Hiroshima

The unbeaten run reaches 7. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima find a way past Albirex Niigata

Albirex Niigata made Sanfrecce Hiroshima work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Issei Ouchi gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Benjamín González knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Market

Ryo Germain linked with a move away

The name of Ryo Germain keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

37 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

12 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

No mercy from Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Kawasaki Frontale will want this one forgotten quickly: 3-0, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Sanfrecce Hiroshima were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Keisuke Osako

There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Sanfrecce Hiroshima

The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Tsukasa Shiotani

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Makoto Mitsuta is off the mark for Sanfrecce Hiroshima

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

Market

Hayato Araki linked with a move away

The name of Hayato Araki keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

36 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

5 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The manager makes an example of Iván Ramírez

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Tsukasa Shiotani asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Match

No goals between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Sagan Tosu

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Sagan Tosu will be the happier side with the point.

In brief

35 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

29 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Iván Ramírez says Sanfrecce Hiroshima went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Benjamín González gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Loan watch

Akito Suzuki has seen enough of Kashima Antlers

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and 0 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.

Match

No goals between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Ventforet Kofu

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Ventforet Kofu will be the happier side with the point.

Market

The Shuto Nakano talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Iván Ramírez has taken the shirt

At 22 he is in the side on merit and somebody else is watching from the bench. Places at Sanfrecce Hiroshima are won quietly and lost loudly.

In brief

34 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

22 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Taishi Matsumoto: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Sanfrecce Hiroshima have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima find a way past Gamba Osaka

Gamba Osaka made Sanfrecce Hiroshima work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Filip Uremovic gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

33 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

15 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Keisuke Osako gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima share the spoils with Kashima Antlers

A 1-1 draw with Kashima Antlers leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

Squad

Marcos Junior knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

32 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

8 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Keisuke Osako

There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Market

Andrés Araujo is a Sanfrecce Hiroshima player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Squad

Tsukasa Shiotani signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Tsukasa Shiotani commits to Sanfrecce Hiroshima for another 2 years.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima get the job done against Nagoya Grampus

A 2-1 win over Nagoya Grampus, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Squad

Harumi Minamino gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Sota Nakamura is off the mark for Sanfrecce Hiroshima

The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.

In brief

31 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

1 Mar 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Urawa Reds take the points off Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Hayao Kawabe

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Loan watch

Akito Suzuki has seen enough of Kashima Antlers

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and 0 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.

Market

The Shuto Nakano talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

The terraces

Everybody has an opinion about Hayao Kawabe

He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.

Squad

Harumi Minamino knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

30 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

22 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima cannot stop winning

3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.

Market

Takefusa Doan is a Sanfrecce Hiroshima player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

Daichi Inoue is a Sanfrecce Hiroshima player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

Akira Doan comes home

The shirt still fits. Akira Doan is back at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Market

Genki Yamane comes home

The shirt still fits. Genki Yamane is back at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.

Match

Sanfrecce Hiroshima find a way past Vissel Kobe

Vissel Kobe made Sanfrecce Hiroshima work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Sanfrecce Hiroshima lose Takaaki Shichi

15 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Takuma Asano finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

Squad

Iván Ramírez finally opens his account

He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.

In brief

29 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

15 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Kosuke Kinoshita attracts admirers

The name of Kosuke Kinoshita has come up in conversations Sanfrecce Hiroshima were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Market

Hayato Araki linked with a move away

The name of Hayato Araki keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Squad

Somebody is after Hayato Araki’s shirt

A new face in his position, and Hayato Araki suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.

In brief

28 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

8 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Kosuke Kinoshita hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Sanfrecce Hiroshima can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Naoki Maeda moves on

Vegalta Sendai pay $750.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

Market

Sagan Tosu expected to open talks for Sota Koshimichi

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Sanfrecce Hiroshima will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Kosuke Kinoshita

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

The Keisuke Osako talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Makoto Mitsuta has company in his position

The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Makoto Mitsuta keeps the shirt for now, at Sanfrecce Hiroshima's convenience rather than his own.

In brief

27 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

1 Feb 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Taishi Matsumoto asks to leave Sanfrecce Hiroshima

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Sanfrecce Hiroshima turn down Kawasaki Frontale for Kosuke Kinoshita

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Takuma Asano wants more than Sanfrecce Hiroshima are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

In brief

26 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

25 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Yudai Tanaka asks to leave Sanfrecce Hiroshima

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Kosuke Kinoshita attracts admirers

The name of Kosuke Kinoshita has come up in conversations Sanfrecce Hiroshima were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Boardroom

89% of the income goes out in wages at Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.

In brief

25 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

18 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Sota Koshimichi asks to leave Sanfrecce Hiroshima

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Sanfrecce Hiroshima turn down Jubilo Iwata for Sota Koshimichi

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Adelaide United are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Sanfrecce Hiroshima will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

In brief

24 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

11 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Harumi Minamino asks to leave Sanfrecce Hiroshima

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Sota Nakamura stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Sota Nakamura and Sanfrecce Hiroshima agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Market

Akito Suzuki attracts admirers

The name of Akito Suzuki has come up in conversations Sanfrecce Hiroshima were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Kosuke Kinoshita

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

The Keisuke Osako talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Market

Sanfrecce Hiroshima put Taishi Matsumoto up for sale

The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Taishi Matsumoto may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.

In brief

23 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

4 Jan 2027
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Naoto Arai has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Sanfrecce Hiroshima they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Taishi Matsumoto gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Hayato Araki linked with a move away

The name of Hayato Araki keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

22 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

28 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Boardroom

Wages eat 170% of everything Sanfrecce Hiroshima earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Naoto Arai asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

The Daiki Suga talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

21 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

21 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Naoto Arai hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Sanfrecce Hiroshima can pretend not to have heard.

Market

The Ryo Germain talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Loan watch

3 goals on loan for Sota Nakamura

15 appearances at Maccabi Haifa and the goals keep coming. Sanfrecce Hiroshima are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

In brief

20 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

14 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

The manager makes an example of Kosuke Kinoshita

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Marcos Junior asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

Shuto Nakano linked with a move away

The name of Shuto Nakano keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

19 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

7 Dec 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Filip Uremovic: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Sanfrecce Hiroshima have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Naoto Arai has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Sanfrecce Hiroshima they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Kosuke Kinoshita signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Kosuke Kinoshita commits to Sanfrecce Hiroshima for another 2 years.

In brief

18 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

30 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Naoki Maeda says Sanfrecce Hiroshima went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Boardroom

Wages eat 198% of everything Sanfrecce Hiroshima earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Hayato Araki knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

17 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

23 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Naoto Arai hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Sanfrecce Hiroshima can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Hayato Araki asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Market

The Ryo Germain talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

16 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

16 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Hayato Araki: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Sanfrecce Hiroshima have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Kosuke Kinoshita

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

Shuto Nakano linked with a move away

The name of Shuto Nakano keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

15 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

9 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Naoto Arai has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Sanfrecce Hiroshima they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Taishi Matsumoto gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

Hayato Araki linked with a move away

The name of Hayato Araki keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

In brief

14 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

2 Nov 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Takuma Asano wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Sanfrecce Hiroshima hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Boardroom

Wages eat 198% of everything Sanfrecce Hiroshima earn

There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.

Squad

Issei Ouchi gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

13 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

26 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Naoto Arai hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Sanfrecce Hiroshima can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Daiki Suga says Sanfrecce Hiroshima went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Loan watch

Akito Suzuki wants to come home

“I did not go to Brisbane Roar to sit and watch. I want to come back to Sanfrecce Hiroshima and fight for my place.” 1 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.

Market

The Ryo Germain talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Squad

Issei Ouchi knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Loan watch

Sota Nakamura first choice at Maccabi Haifa

8 starts and a season average of 7.04. The loan is doing exactly what it was arranged to do.

In brief

12 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

19 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Shuto Nakano linked with a move away

The name of Shuto Nakano keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sanfrecce Hiroshima say nothing, which says plenty.

Market

Still no signature from Naoto Arai

3 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Sanfrecce Hiroshima could get for him.

Squad

Taishi Matsumoto keeps his manager's vote

The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Taishi Matsumoto plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.

In brief

11 Edition

The Sanfrecce Hiroshima Gazette

12 Oct 2026
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Naoto Arai has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Sanfrecce Hiroshima they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Issei Ouchi: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Sanfrecce Hiroshima have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Marcos Junior signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Marcos Junior commits to Sanfrecce Hiroshima for another 3 years.

In brief