Scouting coup: how BVB unearthed Yamamoto | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund did not discover Takato Yamamoto by chance. Now U23 sporting director Ingo Preuß has revealed how the BVB transfer of the Japanese talent came about.

Takato Yamamoto is currently causing quite a stir at Borussia Dortmund. The 18-year-old Japanese player impressed with strong performances for the senior team during pre-season, even though he was originally signed as a reinforcement for the U23s. Now Ingo Preuß, sporting director of Dortmund’s reserve side, has explained how the transfer came about in the first place.

Contact with Yamamoto came through BVB’s scouting department. As Preuß describes it, the midfielder was first spotted last November at a U19 international tournament in Wales. “One of our scouts watched the U19 international tournament in Wales in November last year, where Takato caught our eye,” Preuß told Ruhr Nachrichten.

After that, Dortmund took a closer look at the Japanese player. Following an intensive analysis, further video reviews, and an assessment of his contract situation, initial contact was made at the start of the year. “Then we got in touch at the beginning of the year, and there was interest from both sides. That’s how it came about,” Preuß explained.

BVB secure purchase option for Takato Yamamoto

At the beginning of July, Yamamoto initially joined Dortmund on loan from Japanese top-flight club Gamba Osaka. BVB hold an option to buy that would allow them to sign the youngster permanently in the summer of 2027 for €1.5 million. Yamamoto was originally planned for the U23s, but during pre-season he was given the chance under head coach Niko Kovac to showcase himself with the senior team as well. He seized that opportunity impressively: in his debut in the friendly against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen (3–1), he contributed a goal and an assist, quickly putting himself in the spotlight among the fans.

Photo: IMAGO

His technically gifted style of play has reminded many supporters of Shinji Kagawa, who also moved to BVB from Osaka and later became a fan favourite. Preuß, however, urges patience and does not want to place too much weight on the comparisons: “Takato has a completely different player profile. Of course, it would be nice if he had the same career, but we are still a long way from that.”

Despite the high expectations, Yamamoto is likely to be developed carefully at first. However, his first few weeks in Dortmund have already shown why BVB’s scouts identified the Japanese talent at an early stage.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.