Tottenham youngster Kota Takai headed to Belgium Pro League in the final stretch of the summer transfer window.
Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed an extremely productive summer transfer window. The club’s hierarchy have put the money where their mouth is, backing head coach Roberto De Zerbi to the hilt.
After helping Spurs avoid relegation on the final day of last season, De Zerbi demanded that the squad be overhauled to ensure the club does not find itself in a similar scenario. The Lilywhites have brought in 10 first-team players through the door, while offloading an even bigger number. Several players have either been sold or loaned out following De Zerbi’s blessings.
Kota Takai was one of the players to leave Tottenham in the final phase of the transfer window. The youngster featured prominently in pre-season but sealed a loan move away from the club to a top-flight European league. The defender completed a season-long loan switch to Belgian side Sint-Truidense V.V, with no option or obligation to buy in the clause.
Sint-Truidense CEO lauds Kota Takai’s signing
The 6 foot 4 Kota Takai spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach, although he struggled for game time. A series of injuries limited his involvement as the centre-back managed just 339 minutes across eight appearances for Borussia Monchengladbach.
He returned to Spurs in the summer and got sufficient minutes in pre-season, but as Tottenham had already strengthened their centre-back options by bringing in Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi before surprising the fans by signing Tosin Adarabioyo from bitter rivals Chelsea on deadline day, the Japanese international slipped further down the pecking order.
It became clear to Takai that he must leave the club temporarily in order to get regular minutes, and he has landed at Sint-Truidense. The Belgian club are very excited for the defender’s arrival.
“Kota is a hugely talented central defender who has mastered every aspect of modern football,” said CEO Takayuki Tateishi.
“He possesses excellent game intelligence and is two-footed. Add his aerial ability to the mix, and you have the ideal profile for our defence.
“We are delighted that he has chosen to further his career at Sint-Truiden. He attracted a lot of interest but decided, in consultation with his parent club Tottenham Hotspur, to make the move to Haspengouw. We are convinced that Kota will play a key role during this historic season.”
Takai will need minutes at Sint-Truidense
Takai has struggled to get his career going at Tottenham. After joining from Kawasaki Frontale in the summer of 2025, the 21-year-old did not make a single appearance in the first half of last season as he was mostly sidelined by injury. At Gladbach, the Japanese talent was unlucky to get as much game time as he would have liked due to injury problems.
At Sint-Truidense V.V, Takai will hope that he is able to feature regularly and nurture his skill set, while the Tottenham officials keep a close watch on his development.