web.gekisaka.jp/news/world/detail/?414655-414655-flA midfielder who graduated from Meiji University in his fifth year as a professional Seko (26) this summer left Kawasaki Frontale for the English EFL Championship Stoke City.
He transferred to the club and had the chance to take on his first challenge in Europe. After leaving Kawasaki F, there was an accident in which the transfer procedure was suddenly stopped, but it was successfully completed on the final day of the European market. While he is expected to make his debut in a new league match after International Week, he conducted a solo interview online with Seko, who has already arrived.
―After it was announced on August 11th that he would be playing against FC Tokyo and leaving Kawasaki F on the 14th, it took some time for him to be announced that he would be joining Stoke City on the 30th, the last day of the transfer period. Ta. How did you spend your time.“At the time the withdrawal was announced, I had reached an agreement with Stoke, and I was thinking of going, but that stopped a little. I had a lot of ups and downs, and it was a difficult situation, but first of all, I had a strong will to make this transfer happen, so I was working towards that goal.”
―What caused it.“A few days before I was scheduled to travel, the transfer of a player in the same position who was scheduled to be released in order to acquire me fell through. I was surprised because we suddenly started talking about that, but in the end, due to the flow of players, I was able to join. Of course, the same goes for the Kawasaki and Stoke training departments, and I feel that this is thanks to the help of UDNSPORTS( agent office ).”
―How did you do the training during that time.''Since the announcement of my withdrawal, I haven't been able to practice at all, so at first I was able to move my body at the Kawasaki clubhouse, and after I realized that it would take time, I asked UDN to move my body to the ground.'' We had them take a gym and create an environment where they could move on their own.''
―In addition to fitness, I think there were also mental difficulties. I also saw voices of concern from Kawasaki F supporters, wondering if you were doing well.''The deadline for the European transfer market was approaching, and I was nervous because I didn't know what would happen because it was a contract issue, and there were difficulties that I couldn't do anything about.''
―I think the reason behind this stress was probably that you had already made the decision to leave the team.“That's really true. There was a release out there, and I was out of practice with the team, so if I couldn't go with this, I wouldn't have any respect for existing players or new players who replaced me, and I wouldn't need them for the team. I think it caused concern. I've always wanted it to be decided quickly in that respect.”
―The J League transfer window closes earlier than in Europe, so I think there were concerns that Kawasaki F would not be able to form in time unless they made the decision to leave early.“That's exactly right. I thought it would be a nuisance to everyone if everything didn't go well, so that's all I wanted.”
―After going through these circumstances, you have successfully decided to transfer, and now that you are there, how do you feel.“First of all, I'm relieved. Of course, when I live here and communicate with the players in the clubhouse, they don't understand Japanese at all, and although I study English, I'm not very fluent, so I want to try that hard. I am. I think there are things that I really need to convey, both in terms of soccer and in my daily life, so I feel like I'm jumping into a 180 degree difference. However, I was worried at first, but now I'm looking forward to it and excited. Yesterday, the team was playing match (, Round 3 against Plymouth ), and while watching the match, I was wondering what kind of image I would have and what kind of image I would have, and the international break would come at a good time, so that was a chance to show myself. I'm looking forward to it, thinking it's also a chance to integrate into the team
―Did you feel anything when you saw the match.“I've been watching several games since the team approved me, so I kept my image the same. It's hard to say this because I haven't really felt it yet, but I think the team has a lot of young players and an aggressive moment, so I hope I can get carried away by that too. I think so”
―What was the position of the challenge of transferring overseas in Seko's career so far. Also, how do you feel about coming to the EFL Championship as a result.“First of all, I've been thinking about overseas since my first year as a pro. When I first played in J1, there were Japanese players who came back after experiencing overseas, and there were also Iniestas at the time, so I felt a difference. However, at that time, I felt like I just wanted to go abroad, I just wanted to go that far. However, over the years since then, I have moved to Kawasaki, so there are players who are playing overseas around me, and as I see my classmates from university going overseas and playing an active role, I have been able to play overseas. My desire to take on challenges is growing day by day. Also, since I joined Kawasaki, I have had the opportunity to play against Paris SG and others, although it is a friendly match, and I have come to feel more familiar with it. Of course, they come to Japan in the preseason, so there are some parts that I can't say, but I feel like I didn't think it was absolutely impossible, so I felt like I wanted to go 『. It made me the strongest. And this time, when there was talk of a championship, I felt like it wasn't a league that could be called a second division, comparable to the first division leagues of other countries, so I had a chance to jump into that kind of place. When it comes to that, I really want to go It is true that I strongly felt that.
―We also covered the friendly match against Bayern, but to be honest, I looked at it with the feeling that ''this kind of opponent is better suited.''.“It really feels like I've been hit by a star right now ( lol). I don't know if this is the correct way to say it, but I think the sense of soccer in Japan and overseas is different, and it's in Europe that individuals are independent and stand out even better, and in soccer overseas. I think it's a friendly match, but when we play against each other I felt that the texture was very suitable for me, or rather, I felt comfortable. It's hard to express in simple words that it feels good to find something you want to do with someone like this, but I definitely want to do it in this kind of environment, in this kind of soccer culture. I felt it.
―You mentioned earlier that you were a colleague of mine at university, but were you inspired by Shuto Abe and others who came to Europe early.“The same goes for Shuto, the same goes for Morishita ( Ryuya ), and the rest is not just Meiji, but also ( Mitoma ) Kaoru, ( flag bearer ) Reo, and other people of the same generation from university who went overseas and were active. It was great to see it. I joined the J.League at the same time and joined the J.League in the same year, and while I've been playing professionally for the same number of years, it's not very stimulating, and instead of players who are one year older or one year younger, players of the same age are the ones who are the same age. I was really inspired by the way I was going down the road. I spoke directly to Kaoru from both Shuto and Morishita when he returned to Kawasaki, and I wondered if the growth curve was different in many ways. Of course, the same goes for soccer, and the same goes for personal life and language.Although I am a soccer player, I am still a member of society, so I talk about various things not only with people in Japan but also with people from various countries around the world, and live together with them. I think what you get while doing this is a great life experience That's what inspired me. That also led to me wanting to take on this challenge.”
“First of all, when it comes to age, I certainly felt like the timing of this summer was my last chance. I had talked to my agent about this before the start of this season, and I thought it would be difficult to do so unless we felt that the time horizon was as fast as within the past year. However, now that it has taken this form, that anxiety has already been dispelled. I don't think age matters once it's decided, so I feel like it's from here. Also, regarding his position, I think that joining Stoke means that he is being evaluated that much, so I have no concerns about that In the first place, I don't think I'll go if I'm worried, and if I feel anxious, I don't think I'll be evaluated, so I think it's up to me to do that If I can't do this, I think people will think that I'm a player who couldn't do it, and if I can do it, I think it's something I've grabbed myself, so I don't care about past cases.”
“Of course, since I'm a player, I think the best thing is to always be able to participate in games, but there are some things that I can't do on my own. In that sense, I think this experience at Kawasaki was a very intense two and a half years, whether I was in the game or not. Why can't I play in a game? When I play in a game, when I'm in a game, I wonder if it's the current team situation, whether I'm in a winning game, or whether I'm in a losing game. It also resonates with me, and I'm glad I was able to have that kind of experience. Ever since I was at Yokohama FC, I had a change of heart and wanted to compete, so I joined Kawasaki, and Kawasaki had the environment I had hoped for, and of course I had a hard time in my first year, and I had a hard time in my second year and this year as well. There are times when I don't appear in games I think that time will make me bigger, so there are reasons why I can't and can go out, and the experience of fighting while focusing on it myself is definitely important. I think it will come to life in the future as well. Even if there are tough times since I joined Stoke, if I feel emotionally resilient, I think I'll have a little leeway, and if I fall apart, I'll fall apart through the season. I think you can put that experience to good use
''As long as I'm a soccer player, my main desire is to aim for the Japanese national team and participate in the World Cup, but realistically, considering my age, the next World Cup may be my last chance, so I think the next two years are the key to that timeline.''
―Are you the type of person who makes detailed plans for spending those two years.“There is no detailed planning in the vision. I don't know if that will really happen, and I'm not the type to create that kind of planning. I have a final goal, but I think any approach to that is fine.”
―about the new season. While there are many young players at Stoke, I think there is a lot of need for results as a mid-level player. What kind of enthusiasm do you have for the new season."My rivals in similar positions are younger in age, so I don't have any championship experience, but I hope to be able to give back my career experience to this team. However, even in such a situation, I feel like I am a new challenger, so I think I can show myself how much. I think they appreciated my play, so I think I can use the momentum of young players in a good way so that I can demonstrate that.”
(interview text Tatsuya Takeuchi)
