Brighton’s Japanese Player Who Challenged 25-26 Premier League Strategy and Play

Kaoru Mitoma has been a breakout star for Brighton ever since his debut in August of 2022. He is a regular starter when fit on the left wing. The 28-year-old has scored several amazing goals against big opponents such as Liverpool, Chelsea, and Tottenham. Under Roberto De Zerbi, the Japanese international shone in the Premier League and the European Stage in the Europa League. Now, under Fabian Hürzeler, Brighton’s Japanese player is still getting playing time, with 36 appearances in the German's first season as manager and 23 in the 2025-26 season, with the number expected to increase. In a crunch, Mitoma is a player who can be relied upon to score last-minute goals. His movements on the left side of the pitch are unmatched and usually prompt the opposition to place two or three players on him to deter him from moving into the penalty box. Seeing two to three opposition players marking the versatile left winger has been routine for Brighton fans to watch since his first season. He brought his signature stop-start dribbling to the Premier League, and he forced the defenders to try to keep up with his tricks. The five-year Brighton player will also be a huge threat on the world stage with Japan at the World Cup.

In his youth, Mitoma joined Kawasaki Frontale's academy. He would move through the ranks of Frontale's academy but not join the senior squad at 18. The Japanese player stated that he didn't feel his body or fitness were ready for professional soccer; therefore, he enrolled in the University of Tsukuba, one of Japan's top ten universities. At the university, the five-foot-ten left winger joined the high-level soccer club and further cultivated his skills through the college team. He studied physical education. For his thesis, he wrote an analytical essay on dribbling. Mitoma's fellow soccer players at university helped him gather data as he strapped cameras to their heads to see what they were looking at and how the ball moved. Some key takeaways from the essay excerpts are that the best dribblers keep their heads up and don't look at the ball as they move down the pitch's side. Between university and his college soccer career, he also represented Japan at the 2018 Asian Cup tournament.

After graduating from university, Mitoma was signed by Kawasaki Frontale's senior squad in 2020. During his debut season, he was the first rookie player to reach double digits in goals since 2013. The Japanese international made an impression in the J-League in his first season and, internationally, as Brighton & Hove Albion used their algorithm and data-driven scouting model to target the skillful Japanese player. The 28-year-old left winger would sign for Brighton in August of 2021. He would not play in the Premier League until the next season as Brighton's model aims to develop new signings at a sister club, Union Saint-Gilloise, in the Belgian Pro League. During his loan spell in Belgium, he made 29 appearances, scoring eight goals and providing four assists.

Mitoma's loan was recalled after a season at Union Saint-Gilloise. He would make his official Premier League debut under Graham Potter on August 13th of 2022. The entire professional soccer world later shut down for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in November. In Qatar, Mitoma played in all four of Japan's matches. He was instrumental in both victories over Germany and Spain, more specifically in the Spain match, as he kept the ball inside the line by millimeters to assist on a goal. Sadly, he was unable to keep his team in the prestigious tournament after missing his penalty kick in the shootout against Croatia. However, the left winger would come back stronger for his professional team after bowing out of the World Cup in the Round of 16.

Professional soccer teams resumed their seasons, and Brighton clashed with Manchester United in the FA Cup Semifinals. The Seagulls made it so deep into the FA Cup thanks to Mitoma's last-minute, incredible goal against Liverpool. The Japanese winger was another key player during the semifinal match that went to penalties. He could have won the match in stoppage time, but he collided with Man United's goalie, who came out to sweep up the ball. He did not take a penalty kick in the shootout, but it was a disappointing loss for the Seagulls. The rest of their season made history for the club, as they reached European competition for the first time. The Brighton left winger would have a turbulent 2023-24 season due to a back injury that caused him to miss the latter half of the season. However, at the beginning of the season, Mitoma showcased his amazing dribbling skills, running past four Wolves defenders and scoring a spectacular solo goal. Even with coaches changing from Potter to De Zerbi to Hürzeler, Mitoma has always retained his starting position, further showing that all Brighton coaches value his contributions to the team.

After the World Cup, Mitoma's popularity among other clubs started to grow. Brighton were receiving offers for the Japanese international left and right, from clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Bayern Munich, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Napoli, Liverpool, and Atlético Madrid. However, the most significant offer Brighton received from other clubs came from Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr FC. The Saudi Club made two offers: the first was $70 million, and the second was $95 million. The South Coast club rejected both offers, and Mitoma was reportedly not open to moving outside England to play professionally. This showed the value that Brighton and the coaching staff placed on the Japanese international. He is a crucial part of Brighton's formation and style of play.

Looking ahead to his career, Mitoma will most likely showcase for Japan during the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. He will be a crucial player for Japan's campaign, especially since they are in a tough group with the Netherlands, where Mitoma will face fellow Brighton teammates Bart Verbruggen, and possibly Jan Paul van Hecke and Mats Wieffer. Japan will also have to play Sweden, where Mitoma could face another Brighton player, Yasin Ayari, and Tunisia. The South Coast team continues to back Mitoma, and his contract runs until June 2027. Whatever comes Brighton's and Japan's way, whether it be qualifying for European tournaments again, focusing on domestic tournaments, or being the first Asian team to win the World Cup, Mitoma will be an important aspect to both teams due to his quick dribbling and unparalleled control of the ball.