Football: Machida joins Hoffenheim, Fujita moving to St. Pauli
KYODO NEWS - 11 hours ago - 13:00 | Sports, All
Japan defender Koki Machida has joined Hoffenheim from Royale Union Saint-Gilloise while midfielder Joel Chima Fujita is moving to St. Pauli from Sint-Truiden, the respective German Bundesliga clubs said Friday.
Machida played six seasons for his boyhood club Kashima Antlers before joining Saint-Gilloise in January 2022. The 27-year-old helped the Belgian side win their first league title in 90 years this past campaign.
The 23-year-old Fujita, who captained Japan U-23 at the Paris Olympics last summer, is making the move to the Bundesliga after two seasons in Belgium.
The Tokyo Verdy youth product made his professional debut at the club in 2019, then in the J-League second division, before playing for Tokushima Vortis and Yokohama F Marinos in J1.
Defender Daiki Hashioka, meanwhile, completed his move from Luton Town to Czech champions Slavia Prague, who will play in next season's European Champions League.
The 26-year-old former Urawa Reds player was also on the books at Sint-Truiden before he joined Luton in January 2024.
He could not help Luton stay in the English Premier League, however, and the team then suffered a double relegation this past campaign after finishing 22nd in the second-tier Championship.
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