Anthony ‘Teddy’ Akumu at Sagan Tosu: Eight months, no single league appearance in Japan for former Gor Mahia midfielder

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STARS ABROAD Anthony ‘Teddy’ Akumu at Sagan Tosu: Eight months, no single league appearance in Japan for former Gor Mahia midfielder

Mark Kinyanjui 13:23 - 12.08.2023

The Kenyan international has not been selected for any of Sagan Tosu’s 22 league matches, featuring in just three cup games, since joining the Japanese outfit in December 2022

Former Gor Mahia and Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Anthony TeddyAkumu continues to struggle for regular playing time for Japanese top light side side Sagan Tosu after failing to feature in any of their 22 league matches.

The 30-year-old joined Tosu last December after a six-month spell without a club following his release from South African giants Kaizer Chiefs.

After 22 matches played, Akumu is still yet to make an appearance for the side, despite the team languishing in the mid-table where they are 10th on the 18-team standings.

The J.League has no registration limits, although only a maximum of five foreign players are allowed to feature in a matchday squad.

However, players from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia are usually not treated as foreign players.

In the current 35-man squad, only four players are non-Papanese. Akumu, and South Koreans Bong Joh-Koh, Yee Hoom-Ueom and Seok-Ho Hwang, with the latter the only player to have made a J-League appearance so far this season.

The Kenyan has been restricted to cup games for the club, appearing three times in the J-League Cup, where he has scored one goal, and once in the Emperor’s Cup, where he has made just one appearance.

He has not kicked a ball at club level since June 7, being subbed off at half-time in their 5-1 win over Tegevajaro Miyazaki in the second round of the Emperor’s Cup, meaning his last minutes at any level came in Harambee Stars’ 1-0 loss to Mauritius on June 18.

It remains puzzling why the lanky midfielder has not been playing enough, which may put his international career in jeopardy as Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat will want his players to be match sharp as he continues to build a team to take part in the World Cup qualifiers and the 2025 AFCON qualifying trail.