Football: Midfielder Sakamoto joining Coventry from Oostende

Japanese attacking midfielder Tatsuhiro Sakamoto will join Coventry City from Belgian side Oostende, the English second-tier Championship side said Monday.

The 26-year-old played for second-tier Montedio Yamagata and top-tier Cerezo Osaka in the J-League before joining Oostende in January 2022.

Coventry finished fifth this past season and narrowly missed out on Premier League promotion after losing the playoff final to Luton Town in a penalty shootout at Wembley in late May.

Sakamoto is the second player to leave Belgium for the Championship this summer after Koji Miyoshi joined Birmingham City from Royal Antwerp.

© Kyodo News