Ventforet Kofu

Ventforet Kofu had a turbulent last season. The team’s involvement in the Asian Champions League led to expected problems on the domestic stage. Slow start and poor scoring record led to a managerial change in late June. Once Shinji Otsuki took over, this his first-ever job as a head coach, things improved. Top goalscorer Adailton (13 goals) found form in the autumn. Also, despite being 40-years-old Peter Utaka, the top goalscorer from 2023, still contributed 8 goals. In the end this was enough for 14th place in the standings, with a solid 10-point gap over the relegation zone. Both Adailton and Utaka left Kofu this winter. This opens a huge gulf in attack that needed filling. In his first proper off-season as manager coach Otsuki took a huge gamble in how he replaced these strikers. Matheus Leiria comes from J3 and it’s yet to be seen how impactful he could be. The other new striker Koki Oshima joins from Tochigi, a team that in 2024 was relegated to J3 and had the second-worst scoring record. Ventforet also lost two important defenders this winter (Yuta Imazu and Masahiro Sekiguchi). However, if Edu Mancha and Taiga Son have better luck with their health this year, and the new arrival Yuta Koide is as impactful as expected the back line should look solid. The general feeling is of worry. With an inexperienced manager and a front line without a proven goal provider Ventforet might be in for another bumpy ride in 2025.