Borussia Mönchengladbach Close in on Daiki Hashioka Signing
Borussia Mönchengladbach are moving quickly to plug a gap they thought was already filled.
With new right-back Yukhym Konoplya sidelined by a knee injury, the club are closing in on Japanese defender Daiki Hashioka, according to Sky Germany, as relayed by transfermarkt.de. An agreement with Slavia Prague is reported to be in place for a loan with an option to buy, and the 27-year-old is expected to undergo his medical on Thursday.
If all goes to plan, Hashioka will become Gladbach’s eighth signing of a busy summer – and the second Japanese player to walk into Eugen Polanski’s dressing room after defensive midfielder Zento Uno.
A stopgap who offers more than a quick fix
Konoplya’s injury has forced Gladbach’s hand. The Ukrainian, signed to lock down the right flank, suffered a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during a 2-1 friendly win over Rot-Weiss Essen. The diagnosis: roughly two months out and no involvement in full team sessions during the Tegernsee training camp.
That is exactly where Hashioka’s profile starts to look attractive. Nominally a right-back, he can also slide into central defence or push higher up on the right. For a squad suddenly short on options in one corridor of the pitch, that flexibility matters.
Hashioka arrives with international pedigree, capped 12 times by Japan, and with recent Bundesliga-adjacent experience. Last season he spent a loan spell at KAA Gent, making 17 appearances and proving he can adapt to a European environment away from home.
Gladbach are not just replacing a body. They are buying themselves tactical options.
Uno’s first steps in a new world
While Hashioka’s move edges towards completion, Uno has already started the slow process of integration.
The 22-year-old took part in his first full team training on Tuesday, though the club handled him with care. He was used mainly in exercises with limited physical contact, a deliberate easing-in phase before the workload ramps up ahead of the Tegernsee camp.
Communication is being treated as seriously as conditioning. Gladbach have assigned interpreter Atsushi Waki to shadow Uno in tactical meetings and on the training ground.
“With a translator, we can ensure that our messages come across exactly as we intend them to,” head coach Eugen Polanski said. “We’re using this week to ease him into the workload so that, ideally, he’ll be able to participate fully at training camp.”
The club know that understanding details – pressing triggers, build-up patterns, defensive distances – is as important as winning duels.
A squad in motion
On the pitch, the schedule tightens. Gladbach face Hansa Rostock next, then head to Rottach-Egern for their camp. Friendlies against local side FC Rottach-Egern and Bundesliga rivals Hoffenheim will follow, offering Polanski a first real look at how his reshaped squad fits together.
Off the pitch, the numbers tell their own story. The Foals have invested around €12.5 million in new arrivals while bringing in roughly €21 million from sales. It is a summer of controlled rebuilding rather than reckless spending, and the business may not be finished yet.
Nathan Ngoumou, Tomas Cvancara and Florian Neuhaus are all mentioned as possible departures. Any move among that trio would shift both the balance sheet and the internal hierarchy again.
For now, though, the immediate concern is clear. Konoplya is out, the right flank needs reinforcing, and Gladbach are turning to Japan once more. If Hashioka’s medical goes smoothly, Polanski will soon have two new Japanese internationals to weave into his plans – and a very different-looking team heading into the heart of pre-season.
