Yukinari Sugawara

Yukinari Sugawara is a 25-year-old Japanese right back currently playing for Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga. He arrived at the club in the summer of 2024 for a reported fee of around seven million euros, having previously won the Eredivisie title during his time in the Netherlands, and has since established himself as a regular presence in Bremen's defensive setup.

Across 26 appearances in the 2025/26 Bundesliga season, Sugawara has accumulated four assists and logged over 2,100 minutes of action, carrying an average match rating of 6.62. His role is primarily that of an industrious, attack-minded full back who contributes to build-up play along the right flank. His best individual performances in recent weeks came in the away wins at Union Berlin and Wolfsburg, where he rated 6.98 and 6.84 respectively, helping Bremen collect six points from two difficult away fixtures. The defeat at Köln in April, where he was substituted at half-time with a 6.46 rating, represented a more difficult afternoon, though Bremen had already conceded heavily by that point.

Sugawara's season trajectory has been broadly positive. He has been a consistent starter when fit, missing only the St. Pauli fixture in February where he did not feature from the off. His four assists reflect a willingness to get forward and deliver into dangerous areas, even if his end product in front of goal remains limited. At international level, Sugawara is part of a competitive Japan squad that has continued to develop its pool of Europe-based players, and he will be hoping a strong club campaign keeps him in contention for national team consideration. SportSignals' AI analysis engine has tracked several of Werder Bremen's matches this season, noting the team's capacity to perform in away fixtures.

In Werder Bremen's upcoming matches, the key thing to observe is whether Sugawara can maintain his starting position and continue contributing in transition play. His ability to recover defensively after forward runs will be worth monitoring, particularly against sides who look to exploit space behind an advanced right back.