Former Union Saint-Gilloise player Kaoru Mitoma has extended his contract with Brighton until June 2027 after a remarkable start to life in the English Premier League.
The southern English club announced the signing of the Japanese winger on Friday, which comes after the Japanese player's performances have been catching the eye of big clubs such as Manchester City, who were recently linked with him.
Recruited by the Seagulls from Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale in the summer of 2021, Mitoma was loaned out to Union and quickly established himself as a key player in the newly-promoted squad, coached by Felice Mazzu.
He scored his first goal for Union on 16 October, where he scored a hat-trick in a 4–2 home victory over Seraing.
With 7 goals in 27 league games, the Japanese player made a major contribution to the success of the Brussels side, who finished runners-up in the Belgian league that year.
In the summer of 2022, Kaoru Mitoma returned to Brighton, where he also won over his fans and his coach. The Japanese scored 10 goals and provided 8 assists in 41 appearances last season. This season, he already has 3 goals and 4 assists in 11 matches.
“This contract extension is excellent news,” enthused coach Roberto De Zerbi. “Kaoru is our best player."
