Football Season Guide

J2 League
Japan
J2 League
2024
Ventforet Kofu
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Ventforet Kofu

In


Yuta Imazu (def) V-Varen Nagasaki; Kaito Kamiya (def) Kawasaki Frontale; Taiga Son (def) Sagan Tosu; Miki Inoue (def) Meiji University; Takuto Kimura (def) Yokohama Marinos – on loan; Takahiro Iida (def) Kyoto Sanga – on loan; Renato Augusto (mid) Shimizu S-Pulse; Naoto Misawa (mid) Kyoto Sanga; Adailton (att) FC Tokyo; Fabián González (att) Jubilo Iwata;

Out


Riku Matsuda (k) (def) Cerezo Osaka – end of loan; Sota Miura (r) (def) Kawasaki Frontale; Sodai Hasukawa (r) (def) FC Tokyo – end of loan; Manato Shinada (r) (mid) FC Tokyo – end of loan; Ryotaro Nakamura (r) (mid0 Kashima Antlers – end of loan; Motoki Hasegawa (r) (mid) Albirex Niigata; Getulio (r) (att) Tombense – end of loan: Cristiano (sp) (att) V-Varen Nagasaki – end of loan; Shion Inoue (sp) (def) Nagoya; Nagi Matsumoto (sp) (mid) Cerezo Osaka – end of loan; Michael Woud (gk) Kyoto Sanga – end of loan; Yuzuki Yamato (def) Iwate Grulla; Kohei Matsumoto (att) Kataller Toyama – on loan;

Ventforet Kofu had a solid, if not great, 2023. They missed out on the play-offs on the final day of the campaign, finished 3 points behind the top 6. Also, Ventforet enjoyed a solid debut in the Asian Champions League where they finished second in their group to progress through to the knockouts. Ventforet played some very good football and they should have finished in the top 6. In the end, some congestion of the schedule during the autumn due to the Champions League fixtures meant that this opportunity was missed. Despite his 39 years Peter Utaka remain key figure for Ventforet and he led all scorers of the team with his 12 league goals. Many changes to the squad took place this winter and it seems as if Ventforet haven’t finished shopping for new players. The departures of both Getulio and Cristiano could leave Utaka isolated but in experienced Adailton and Gonzalez good enough replacements have been signed. Ventforet had to revamp their defensive line aand things will look much different there in 2024 with at least 3 of the new signings expected to become regular starters. Misawa and Augusto join the team too and they both should be used often in midfield. There is a slight worry that the team’s main striker Utaka will be turning 40 soon but so far the powerful forward has not shown signs of slowing down.

Target


Challenging for promotion is the goal. Too many changes this off-season might make this a difficult task. Top-10 finish seems likely in any case.