Learn more

High school forward Rento Takaoka, who scored four goals for Japan in last year’s Under-17 World Cup, has agreed to officially join Southampton after he turns 18 next March, the English club announced Southampton are returning to the Premier League for the first time in two seasons. They finished fourth in England’s second tier last season and earned promotion through a playoff. A former Japan captain, defender Maya Yoshida, played with Southampton for nearly eight years, from the summer of 2012 until January 2020.

cuu