Kazuki Nagasawa (right) during an AFC Champions League group match in 2021. Photo: AFP/Asian Football Confederation
Veteran Japanese midfielder Kazuki Nagasawa has signed a two-year deal with the Wellington Phoenix.
Nagasawa, 32, had played more than 300 professional matches, primarily in the J1 League, after launching his senior career in Germany, where he helped FC Köln gain promotion to the Bundesliga in 2014.
The one-cap Japanese international won three major trophies over the past decade, winning the AFC Champions League in 2017 with Urawa Red Diamonds, with whom he also lifted the Emperor's Cup in 2018, before winning the J League Cup with Nagoya Grampus in 2021.
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Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano believed Nagasawa was a great fit for the way he wanted to evolve the team this season.
"I remembered Kazuki from his time at Urawa, where he was a very influential player.
"And when I heard he was interested in playing in the A-League I was keen to make a deal happen. Because he's played as an out-and-out midfielder, as a left-sided midfielder, as a 10, and as a winger, I thought he'd be perfect for us.
"I want players that are able to play three or four different positions, because that's what I'll ask of them in games as we'll constantly change shape."
Nagasawa joins club captain Alex Rufer, Iraq international Mo Al-Taay, young All White Fin Conchie and two-time A-League champion Paulo Retre in the men's midfield for the upcoming season.
"I'm very happy with the acquisitions of Nagasawa and Retre. I think they're going to add a lot to the team," said Italiano.
"You need depth in a squad. It's very, very important. I don't think any team gets through the whole season with the bare XI.
"It also allows us to change things within the game as well. Whoever comes off the bench can add something and finish games for us."
Phoenix coach Giancarlo Italiano. Photo: Masanori Udagawa/Photosport
Nagasawa was still awaiting a work visa, but was expected to join the squad next week.
"It's big for Japanese players to play overseas and since returning from Germany I was always thinking of trying again before I finished playing," he said.
"It's a good move for me and my family. My wife and I have talked about wanting to experience life together in another country.
"I also have 10 years' experience as a professional player and I've heard there are a lot of young players at the club so maybe I can share my experience and knowledge [with] the young players on the pitch.
"My strengths are my passing quality, my ability to control the game as a midfielder and also hard work, which every coach needs."
Kazuki Nagasawa is the 20th player confirmed in the Phoenix men's squad, seven weeks out from the start of the A-League season.