Japan’s highly touted goalkeeping prospect Zaion Suzuki could be on his way to the Italian Serie A.
According to Italian transfer market expert Gianluca Di Marzio, “Genoa are interested in Zaion for the goalkeeping position, following their interest in Real Oviedo’s Leo Lehmann. The Bianconeri are currently working on a deal to sign the 2002-born goalkeeper.
The Japanese goalkeeping prospect was born to an American father and Japanese mother. He grew up in one of Japan’s most prestigious clubs, Urawa Reds, where he started playing for the first team in the 2021 season. Although he wasn’t the first-choice goalkeeper, his potential was recognized in the J-League, where he showed off his skills.
In response, one of Europe’s most prestigious clubs, Manchester United, made a move to sign Zaion. At the time, European transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano said: “Manchester United are preparing an offer for Zaion. Zaion is one of their third options and discussions are currently taking place on the player’s side. United have not yet held talks with Urawa and the Reds as they are busy with the Andre Onana deal.”
It’s very difficult to turn down a move to Manchester United, but Zaion made a bold move for his future. If he moved to United and didn’t get a starting role, he would miss out on his prime developmental years. Instead, Zaion moved to Sint-Truidijn, a Belgian club where Lee once played, on loan, and is now a full-time starter.
The goalkeeper is highly touted in his home country of Japan. He has been on an elite path through all of his age groups’ national teams. In July 2022, he was called up to the Japanese national 먹튀검증 team and made his debut. In October 2023, Zaion suddenly became a regular in the Japanese national team.
At the time, the Japanese national team didn’t have a clear-cut goalkeeper, and the fast-rising Zaion was suddenly thrust into the starting lineup. However, Zaion had a very poor performance at the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, where he was blamed for Japan’s shocking quarterfinal exit. He hasn’t received a call-up to the national team since the tournament ended.
Still, Zaion hasn’t done too badly since returning to Sint-Truiden and has attracted interest from Genoa. Genoa are currently in the market for a new first-choice goalkeeper, as their starting goalkeeper, Joseph Martinez, is set to leave the club. Zaion has emerged as one of the candidates.
Zaion has excellent physical attributes for a goalkeeper and has the footwork of a modern goalkeeper. However, his problem is his stability. In the Asian Cup, he conceded a lot of goals due to poor ball handling.