Liverpool sign Japan international Fuka Nagano

Liverpool have made Japan international Fuka Nagano their third new arrival of an increasingly busy WSL transfer window after Gemma Bonner and Sofie Lundgaard.

Nagano is a 23-year-old midfielder who spent the second half of 2022 in the NWSL with North Carolina Courage. She has previously played for clubs in Japan and South Korea, made her senior Japan debut in 2018 and was named Asian Young Footballer of the Year in 2017.

Both herself and Liverpool boss Matt Beard have highlighted her creative skills, which will be crucial addition to what has been a goal-shy team this season. The Reds have only scored 11 WSL goals in nine games and found the net just once during a run of five straight defeats in the autumn.

“I’m very happy to join such a great team and club. I’m really pleased to play for a club that has a great history,” Nagano told Liverpool’s official website.

“I’m a type of player who creates scoring chances with passes from the midfield. As toughness is a must in this league, I want to adapt to the strength and show the fans what I’m capable of.”

Beard, who has worked in the NWSL in the past and retains contacts in North America, said, “She’s a versatile midfield player who can play in the holding role or as an attacking option. She’s excellent on the ball, creative and tactically astute, while her international experience with Japan speaks for itself.

“In club football, she’s played in a highly tactical league in Japan but also in America, which is an athletic and transitional league – and the WSL is probably midway between the two.”