OH Leuven have announced the signing of 25-year-old Takahiro Akimoto until the end of the season. The left-back has been loaned to OHL by Urawa Red Diamonds, with a purchase option having been included in the deal. Akimoto began his career with Tochigi SC, making 40 appearances and scoring seven goals for the club between 2020 and 2021.
In the winter of 2021 he joined Urawa Red Diamonds, where he has gone on to make 135 appearances and score 12 goals. During his time with the side he has also won a number of trophies, including the Japanese Cup, the Japanese Super Cup and the Asian Champions League in 2021/2022.
He joins an OHL side that are currently fighting to remain in the Pro League. The side, who are linked by ownership to Leicester City, are sitting 14th in the league, five points adrift from automatic safety. This season the bottom four will fight to avoid the two automatic relegation spots in an end of season play-offs, with the side in third bottom being put into the relegation play-off against the side that wins the Challenger Pro League play-offs.
GBeNeFNÂ |Â Ben Jackson
