‘I’ve Always Wanted To Play In England’ – Takarada’s Ambition With Leicester
Takarada, a 23-year-old midfielder, signed for the Foxes on a permanent basis on Friday and will join up with her new team-mates in the New Year, having concluded her season with Swedish outfit Linköpings FC.
Ready to begin her next challenge in the East Midlands, Takarada praised former City star Okazaki – who was part of the victorious Premier League team of 2016 – and said he recommended Leicester as a perfect destination for her next move.
“I’m very happy to be here,” the new signing stated in her first interview. “Shinji told me that Leicester City is a very good club and that he hopes I will have a great experience here.
“He [Okazaki] had a great career with Leicester, and I’d like to follow in those footsteps. I want to help this team to qualify for the UEFA Women’s Champions League.”
Starting her career at Cerezo Osaka Sakai, the Toyama-born midfielder spent seven years in Japan before trading Asia to play for Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League in the USA.
On her way to the fourth country of her career, Takarada is excited to play in England’s Barclays Women’s Super League and hopes to create some good memories in front of her new fanbase on Filbert Way.
“I’m quite a technical player,” she continued. “So, I want to play in a way that gets the best out of my team-mates and produce good performances.
“It’s an amazing stadium (King Power Stadium) and I’m really looking forward to playing here. I’ve always wanted to play in England, so I’m really excited to be playing here for this team.”