Confirmed: Stuttgart sign Japanese high school talent
VfB Stuttgart confirmed the signing of Japanese American defender Anrie Chase on Thursday.
The Japanese U23 international will play for Stuttgart's youth squad for the duration of the season.
VfB Stuttgart continue to stock up on Japanese footballing talent. This season's newly minted captain Wataru Endo and the recently purchased Hiroki Ito shall soon have company in the form of 18-year-talent Anrie Chase. What had been rumored as far back as January is now official. The Swabians opted to sign teenage talent Anrie Chase to a contract after a successful trial.
The Japanese U23 international will play for Stuttgart's youth squad for the duration of the season.
Chase--who has an American father--hasn't played for a professional club yet. The 18-year-old featured only for Shoshi High School in Japan. Despite his lack of professional experience, he has already been called up to the Japan U23s. Chase was the only amateur player to represent Samurai Blue at their top youth level.
"Anrie was in training for 14 days and was able to convince us," Stuttgart director of player development Thomas Krücken remarked in a statement, "He's a robust defender, very strong in duels, and good in one-vs-one situations."
"In addition to his physical attributes, he also has pace and a good passing game," Krücken continued, "We are very pleased that he's opted for our program and decided to further develop his game with the U21s."
Germany will face Japan in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup next November in Qatar. A host of Japanese internationals currently playing in Bundesliga should make the showdown most interesting. The Germany U21 team already has an intriguing Japanese heritage player moving up quickly through the ranks in the form of Fortuna Düsseldorf attacker Shinta Appelkamp.
Der erste Neuzugang für die neue Saison steht fest. Anrie Chase hat einen Vertrag ab 1. Juli 2022 unterschrieben. Der 18-jährige Japaner spielt bislang für die Shoshi High School in Japan und ist japanischer U23-Nationalspieler. #jungundwild https://t.co/JSu2lHY5pg
— VfB Nachwuchs (@jungundwild) April 7, 2022