Soichiro Kozuki is moving on loan from FC Schalke 04 to Gornik Zabrze, who have secured a purchase option. Should this be exercised, S04 would in turn have a buy-back option.
It had been in the pipeline for a long time, and now the loan of Soichiro Kozuki to Gornik Zabrze is official. The Japanese player is leaving the miners until December 31, 2024 and will play at least the second half of the current season and the first half of the next season with the Polish first division club.
If the Japanese player is able to impress during this time, Zabrze has a purchase option. In the event that this is exercised, Schalke, in turn, have secured a buy-back option at contractually agreed conditions, as the miners announced.
“Soichiro made an impressive leap from the regional to the Bundesliga at Schalke. After his injury, he then had little playing time in the first half of the season,” explained sporting director Marc Wilmots. ‘In the interests of Soichiro and the club, we have now made a sensible decision for all parties.’
From the Mittelrhein to the Bundesliga in no time
Kozuki’s rise has indeed been rapid. It was only in the winter of 2022 that the now 23-year-old moved from his native Japan to Germany. At 1. FC Düren, the attacker impressed so much in just one half of the season with five goals and five assists at the then champions that FC Schalke took notice and signed him for the second team in the summer of 2022.
Kozuki also shone there. In his debut season in the regional league, he not only scored eight goals and provided four assists in 14 games, but also made the leap to the professional ranks during the winter break. There, he made five appearances under Thomas Reis at the start of the second half of the season, in each of which he was in the starting lineup.
Difficult situation after long injury
However, an ankle injury then put the attacker off track, meaning the end of the season. This season, Kozuki was also unable to build on the form of the previous year. In the first half of the season, he was only granted six professional appearances, with one start. For the U23s, he scored three goals in three games.
Now his journey continues in Poland, at least for the time being. At Gornik Zabrze, currently seventh in the Ekstraklasa, he will not only face Lukas Podolski, but also former Essen player Lawrence Ennali.