Yukinari Sugawara

Following his move to Werder Bremen, Sugawara's current-season form is up 110% on last season (Season 10→21), while his Rating held around 71. His peak season for form remains 2023/24 (Season 45).

Domestic career

Season	Club	Apps	G	A	Match	RTG	Season
2025/26	Werder BremenLoan · 15th	31	0	6	6.53	71	21
2025/26	Southampton · 4th	2	0	0	6.9	48	0
2024/25	Southampton · 20th	35	1	1	6.7	72	10
2023/24	AZ Alkmaar · 4th	30	4	7	7.46	79	45
2022/23	AZ Alkmaar · 4th	31	3	8	7.06	79	40
2021/22	AZ Alkmaar · 5th	36	1	3	6.98	73	27

Domestic-league totals per season. RTG = Field Insider Rating (potential / ceiling); Season = age-blind form that year. 3 earlier seasons in the full career.

Japan · international

Side	Apps	G
Japan	28	2
Japan U20	4	0
Japan U17	4	0

Career caps & goals — tournament breakdown in the full career.

Scout report

Top-tier performerFull-back

Y. Sugawara is a 26-year-old full-back at Werder Bremen, rated 70.8 overall by Field Insider's model. In his prime years, he has been a regular starter this season (79.5% of available minutes). His defensive output reads 2 tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90. Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on Sugawara.

On the season, Sugawara graded 21 for current form (age-blind), on 5 clean sheets and 1.998 defensive actions per 90.

Year-on-year, that's a clear step up on last season (Season 10 → 21). Over the 6 seasons on record his form has drifted down, peaking in 2023/24.

On long-term talent our Rating reads 71. At 26 Sugawara is in his prime years, and a market index of 42.3 reflects that trajectory.

From the career report

Read the full career report →

Past his 2023/24 peak — the recent trend is downward, so buyers are paying for what's left, not what was.

Peak: 2023/24Trending down

70.8

Ratingi

elite — among the best in the position

20.9

Seasoni

below regular-starter level

79.5%

Minutes

a regular starter

Def. actions / 90

light defensive volume

Output in context · Werder Bremen finished 15th of 18 · a lower-table side

Apps

Def. / 90

Tackles

Interceptions

Clean sheets

2 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — light defensive volume, with 5 clean sheets across 31 appearances. Doing that for a lower-table side (15th of 18) is harder than the bare numbers suggest: a back line under more pressure has to defend more often and protects fewer leads, so the volume — and any clean sheets — carry real weight. Going forward he chipped in 0 goals and 6 assists — a useful bonus from the back.

Strengths

Availability. On the pitch for 79.5% of available minutes — a dependable presence in the XI.
Attacking threat. Chips in from deep: 0.22 goal involvements per 90, useful for a full-back.

Watch points

Defensive numbers. Modest 2 defensive actions per 90 for the position.

Outlook

Rated 70.8 overall — elite — among the best in the position. Defensively he reads as light defensive volume (2 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90), with a bit more on the ball than most in the role. In the prime window — at or near peak market value, so the next two seasons are the ones to cash in or build around. Doing it for a lesser side, he profiles as a value buy for a club higher up the table.

Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.

Per 90 & availability

Minutes played %79.5%

Available fixtures34 of 34

Goals / 900

Assists / 900.222

Goal contribution / 900.222

Defensive actions / 901.998

Player flow

Goal involvements6

Cards / 900.111

Season-by-season progression

Rating (potential)Season (form)

Value & potential by age

Market valueRating

Solid = now · dashed = projected

The gold line is market value — an index (not €) blending rating, age and league. It climbs through the early 20s, peaks around age 26 (~42), then tapers with age. At 26, Sugawara sits on 42.3, at or near its peak. The blue line is Sugawara's projected Rating — 70.8 today — recomputed at each age, so it follows the same rise-and-fall as a career matures and declines. Solid = up to today; dashed = projected.

Season statistics

Bars = where he ranks among full-backs in the Championship with 600+ minutes this season.

Shooting

Goals0

Passing

Assists6

Defending

Tackles36

Interceptions12

Blocks6

Yellow/red cards

Yellow cards2

Red cards1

Transfer history

€7M total transfer fees · 5 moves

Southampton(back from loan)Jun 2026 – now

Werder Bremen(on loan)Aug 2025 – Jun 2026

SouthamptonJul 2024 – Aug 2025€ 7M

AZ AlkmaarJul 2020 – Jul 2024

AZ Alkmaar(on loan)Jun 2019 – Jul 2020

Nagoya Grampusuntil Jun 2019

About Y. Sugawara

Yukinari Sugawara is a 26-year-old full-back who plays for Southampton, born on June 28, 2000 in Toyokawa, standing 179 cm tall. He is from Japan. Southampton currently sit 18th of 24 in the Championship.

This season

In the current season, Y. Sugawara has made 2 appearances with 0 goals and 0 assists across 68 minutes.

Y. Sugawara's next match is on September 5, 2026, when Southampton face Lincoln away in the Championship.

Field Insider's view

Field Insider currently rates Y. Sugawara at 70.8 with a Season form score of 20.9. See the full scout report for strengths, watch-points and the market-value outlook.

Career

Across 8 recorded seasons, Y. Sugawara has totalled 237 club appearances with 14 goals and 27 assists for 5 different clubs. His busiest campaign came in 2021/22, with 36 appearances for AZ Alkmaar.

Y. Sugawara's career has also included time at Werder Bremen, AZ Alkmaar and Nagoya Grampus.

On the international stage, Y. Sugawara has represented Japan, Japan U20, Japan U17 — 36 caps and 2 goals in our records.

Transfer news

No transfer news found for this player.

Profile

Season stats

Career

Scout report

Output in context · Werder Bremen finished 15th of 18 · a lower-table side

Strengths

Watch points