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The story
Japan international midfielder Kaoru Mitoma (29), who plays for Brighton, could transfer away as early as January, British outlet “TeamTalk” reported on the 9th. A specialist site puts his market value at roughly ¥3.9 billion, a striking figure given his contract has less than a year left. On 5ch’s Geinou/Sports Breaking News+ board, posters debated possible destinations, salary estimates, and injury risk, before the discussion spiraled into comparisons of fame and earnings with Shohei Ohtani and Naoya Inoue. Opinions were sharply divided.
Sports Nippon
[September 10, 2026, 19:20]
British outlet “TeamTalk” reported on the 9th that Kaoru Mitoma (29), the Japan national team midfielder currently at Brighton in England’s Premier League, could move clubs as early as January next year.
Source: sponichi.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
More like half that.
A player whose career got wrecked by injuries.
Guys who actually do transfer get it wrapped up fast, like Zion did.
Just come back to FC Tokyo.
Only six months left on his contract by winter
Asian (counts against the non-EU quota outside the Premier League)
Injury-prone
Set to miss a month for the Asian Cup
No club's paying €22 million for that.
There was definitely a turning point back then.
Ohtani, sure, but Inoue?????? Does lightweight boxing even carry any fame?
He hasn't really put in a shift all year.
It's not like this is some Olympic sport where you only have to perform once every four years.
Impressive that he's still valued at ¥3.9 billion even with under a year left and set to be free next summer.
Guess a proven Premier League track record really is on another level.
Ito could probably keep coasting in low-intensity Belgium all the way to the World Cup in four years.
Mitoma's turned into a specialist-type player now — it's a question of whether he chases a step up in league level, prepares for the World Cup, or just chases the money.
His play is bold and flashy, but his personality's way too cautious — going off to university and all that…
Even in the UK, Naoya Inoue's more famous than Mitoma lol.
Plus his sponsorships are global deals — Mitoma doesn't have any global ones.
Inoue's famous in the UK? Where'd you even get that?
Lightweight boxing isn't even popular in the West.
And your source for Mitoma being popular in the UK is…?
Mitoma's good at soccer.
That's what pushes his brand value up even further.
In the US, even a Mexican-American lightweight can earn decently, but nowhere near as much —
maybe about 1/10 of that.
Even at 1/10, that's still more than Mitoma makes lol.
Zion and Mitoma could make a real attack together.
You clearly don't watch Villa's games.
They've already got a good young player on the left.
'Turned down'? That's just a bogus rumor article.
It's more like buying a luxury watch that might already be broken.
Aston Villa
Zero goals this season
Maybe score a goal first.
At this rate it'll turn into 'Mitoma, just get on the pitch' lol.
Background and key points of this discussion
The ¥3.9 billion market-value figure is an estimate calculated by a transfer-tracking website, and it’s a different thing from an actual transfer fee or agreed price. This report itself is also only at the stage of a single British outlet describing a “possibility” — it isn’t information indicating that negotiations between clubs have actually taken shape. Where opinions split on the thread was over how much stock to put in this kind of transfer report. Skepticism was common, citing how recently he re-signed his contract, how the January window sees far less player movement than summer and is harder to complete deals in, and the fact that he’s expected to be away for the Asian Cup come January. On the other hand, some read the fact that his valuation remains high even with under a year left on his contract as confirmation of his proven Premier League track record. Note: unverified comments about his personal life have been excluded from this article.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Breaking News+) thread “Brighton’s Mitoma Could Transfer This January, British Media Reports — Specialist Site Puts Market Value at About ¥3.9 Billion“.
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