Yokoyama (12 replies)

Sorry if this retreading old ground. I've generally been really impressed by a lot of the business done by the club this year and there are a lot of players that look ready for the championship and have a number of good years in them still. Then there are those players who are also young enough to imagine that if things go right then we will have real gems on our hands (Stansfield etc).

I really think Yokoyama fits into that later catagory. Obviously he's had a big transition going from a different country and league and so hasn't been used so much. However, he has shown real moments of greatness that if we can get him to consistently produce then honestly you would have to imagine he could play in the prem some day. Now obviously time will tell and there have been plenty of similar situations where it doesn't play out like that. That said I think he is going to play a big part in our future and really hope things work out with him. Also being cynical having a top Japanese talent brings a lot more focus to our club from a large wealthy nation with a growing appreciation for the sport and if he made the full national team well that would be great.