Sint-Truidense sign Kota Takai on loan from Tottenham

Sint-Truidense have completed the signing of Kota Takai on loan from Tottenham Hotspur for the remainder of the 2026/27 season.

Tottenham officially confirmed the move, with the Japan international defender leaving north London for another temporary spell in European football.

The club did not disclose a loan fee or any purchase option in its announcement, meaning the confirmed structure extends only to Takai spending the rest of the campaign with the Belgian Pro League side.

Takai joined Tottenham from Kawasaki Frontale in July 2025 after establishing himself in the J1 League and breaking into the Japan senior national team.

His first season in England was disrupted by injury and he did not make a competitive senior appearance for Spurs before leaving for Borussia Mönchengladbach on loan in January 2026.

The centre-back made his Bundesliga debut against Augsburg and went on to record eight appearances during the second half of the season before returning to Tottenham in the summer.

The move to Sint-Truidense gives the 21-year-old another opportunity to accumulate regular first-team minutes while remaining under Tottenham’s control.

Takai has represented Japan at senior level and was also part of the country’s squad at the 2024 Olympic Games, having previously won the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup.

His second successive loan means a Tottenham first-team breakthrough will have to wait, but the agreement provides another full-season development opportunity in a European top division.

The transfer is complete and official: Tottenham have confirmed Takai’s departure for Sint-Truidense, with the defender due to spend the remainder of the 2026/27 campaign in Belgium.