Japanese players have a storied recent history in the German Bundesliga.
The East Asian nation is one of the most represented foreign countries in the league currently going into the new campaign, unsurprisingly given the amount of success players from Japan have had in the country over the last decade and a half.
From the likes of Shinji Kagawa, Makoto Hasebe, and Shinji Okazaki in the past to Ko Itakura, Ritsu Doan, and Daichi Kamada as more recent examples, there seems to always be a Blue Samurai doing well in Germany.
The latest one to make his mark in the Bundesliga is Shūto Machino, who has just earned a move to Borussia Mönchengladbach for €8m from Holstein Kiel, who have turned a sizable profit on a player they signed for €700k just two years ago.
Machino makes this move on the back of an impressive campaign for his recently relegated ex-employers, where he netted 11 times which saw him just miss out on the top 10 scorers in the league despite playing for one of the worst sides in it all season.
It seemed unlikely, then, that he would take his services back to the second-tier, with suitors likely to arrive, but in the end, Gladbach brought him in to bolster their frontline following a disappointing season in which they finished in 10th place.
This player analysis and scout report will look at Shūto Machino style of play in 2024/2025 and what the striker will bring to Gladbach this upcoming term.
Shūto Machino Player Profile
Shūto Machino is a right-footed 25-year-old forward who stands at 613 (1.85 m or 185 cm) and most recently weighed 178 lbs (81 kg).
Machino predominantly operates as a centre-forward who can lead the line alone or play alongside another striker, which he often did for Holstein Kiel last season.
He can also play in other positions, as an attacking midfielder behind a recognised striker or as a left-winger cutting in on his favoured right foot.
Hes also comfortable with using his left foot, which makes him a complete attacking player who can add a great deal of versatility and flexibility to the Gladbach offence.
Lets take a look at his forward map from the 2024/2025 season with Holstein Kiel and see how he performed across a few key attacking metrics, before diving deeper into his strengths and areas of improvement going into this new chapter of his career.
Shūto Machino Pizza Chart 2024/2025
This pizza chart compares Shūto Machino with other centre-forwards from Europes top-five leagues in key attacking metrics based on 2024/2025 data.
Two metrics that immediately jump out, in a positive way, are his goals per 90 and goal conversion percentage.
Despite ranking low in the 46th percentile when it comes to expected goals (xG) per 90, he ranks nearly twice as better among other forwards of his level in the 82nd percentile when it comes to actual goals.
Double that with his high
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