Konnichiwa! Brighton have tied down one of their most important players to an improved contract with Karou Mitoma committing himself to the Albion until the summer of 2027.
We obviously say committing in the loosest possible terms as it is unlikely Mitoma will remain a Seagull for another three-and-a-half years.
What it does do though is strengthen Brighton’s position for when one of the European Super League Elite Six inevitably come calling, as we saw with Moises Caicedo.
Thanks to Caicedo signing a new deal in March, the Albion were able to extract a British record transfer fee of £115 million from Chelsea for his services four months later.
Mitoma seems destined to make a similar big money move having established himself as one of the most exciting wingers in the Premier League over the past year.
Brighton signed the Japanese Bullet Train from J-League side Kawasaki Frontale for £2.7 million in the summer of 2021.
He joined Kawasaki from university where – and not many people know this as it is rarely mentioned – he wrote a thesis on dribbling.
Unable to secure a British Work Permit, Mitoma spent the 2021-22 on loan in Belgium with Union Saint-Gilloise.
He was one of the stars for Tony Bloom’s Belgian side, scoring eight times and registering four assists from 29 games in all competitions.
Mitoma arrived in England for the start of the 2022-23 season. Given the impact he has had since, it is hard to believe there were questions over where Mitoma would fit in at the Albion.
Those arose from Graham Potter being manager at the time. Not only did Potter favour a back three with wing backs, but he had a phobia of out-and-out wingers who wanted to run with the ball rather than pass sideways.
Mitoma did not make a Premier League start under Potter, instead being restricted with cameo appearances from the bench.
In contrast, Mitoma’s skillset as an inverted winger was tailor made for the 4-2-3-1 formation of Roberto De Zerbi.
With wonderful irony, Mitoma made his full league debut when Potter returned to the Amex for the first time as Chelsea boss.
Brighton won 4-1, Mitoma was one of the stars of the show and there has been no looking back since then.
Most right backs have found Mitoma impossible to deal with thanks to his combination of speed, balance and his ability to cut in from the left onto his trusted right foot.
In 52 appearances for the Albion across all competitions, Mitoma has scored 13 times and assisted a further 12 goals.
His seven in the Premier League in 2022-23 represented the most ever scored by a Japanese player in a single campaign.
Having scored three times from nine matches already this season, Mitoma is well on course to exceed that total.
He won the Japanese PFA Player of the Year Award 2022 and picked up the Premier League Goal of the Month for August 2023 for his 50 yard, Diego Maradona-esque run and finish against Wolves.
More exciting than all that, Mitoma became the first ever Albion player to be named the face of a major international airline through a partnership with Japanese carrier ANA.
Mitoma is rumoured to be earning £80,000 a week through his new Brighton contract, reflecting his status as one of the best players available to Roberto De Zerbi.
That figure is offset by the thousands of Japanese fans Mitoma attracts to the Amex every week, who spend an average of £40,000 per home game in the Superstore and make away shirts rarer than Willy Wonka’s Golden Tickets.
Long may it continue.
