Kaishu Sano joins Mainz

1. FSV Mainz 05 have signed Kaishu Sano from Kashima Antlers, who are currently second in the Japanese J1-League. The 23-year-old defensive midfielder is a key player for Kashima, with all of his league appearances this season having come as a starter. His impressive performances have also led Sano to be capped by the Japan national side. Since his debut for the “Samurai Blues” at the end of 2023, Sano has made four appearances under head coach Hajime Moriyasu. The next step in his development will be this transfer to Mainz. He made his final appearance in the J1-League on Sunday, and is now set to become FSV’s third Japanese Bundesliga player after Shinji Okazaki and Yoshinori Muto. Sano, who will receive extra rest time as he has already completed half a season in Japan, will join up with the 05ers for team training on 21st July, and has put pen to paper on a four-year-contract until 2028. The two clubs have agreed not to disclose the terms of the transfer.

“Kaishu Sano will strengthen our midfield with his calmness on the ball, technical ability, work rate and battling mentality. For him, this move to Mainz is the first time his career has taken him outside of Japan and onto the international stage. Mainz 05 are the perfect club for this, and we will support Kaishu both on and off the pitch to help him realise his full potential in the Bundesliga,” said Mainz board member for sport Christian Heidel.

Kaishu Sano said: “Mainz 05 studied me thoroughly as a player and not only saw my strengths but also my potential to develop. It’s always been my dream to play abroad, and the Bundesliga is very well-known in Japan. I played against Yoshinori Muto on Sunday, and I hope to meet Shinji Okazaki over the next few weeks. Now, I’m looking forward to getting the Mainz fans off their seats just as much as my Japanese countrymen who played here before me did.”