Rangers Officially Sign Winger Daisuke Yokota From Hannover 96

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Rangers have made it official: Japanese winger Daisuke Yokota is joining the club from Hannover 96. Here's what the club has confirmed about the move.

The Deal

Rangers signed Yokota on a three-year contract with an option for a further year, the club confirmed on its official site. The transfer is subject to international clearance and a visa, standard conditions for a move of this kind. He becomes one of manager Derek McInnes's summer signings, joining players like Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin in Rangers' new-look squad.

Yokota's Path to Rangers

Yokota began his career in Tokyo before moving to Germany at age 18. He played for Latvian club Valmiera, helping them win the domestic league championship in 2022, before a spell with Poland's Górnik Zabrze. He then moved to Hannover 96, initially on loan before a permanent transfer, scoring five goals in 30 appearances for the 2. Bundesliga side last season.

In His Own Words

"I'm really excited to be joining Rangers. This is a massive club with a fantastic history, passionate supporters and high ambitions, so it's a proud moment for me," Yokota said, according to the club's official announcement. Manager Derek McInnes added: "We are really pleased to bring Daisuke to the club. He is a player we have been aware of for some time, and he brings qualities that we believe will really strengthen our attacking options."

What To Know

Yokota's path — Tokyo to Germany at 18, then Latvia, Poland, and Germany again before reaching a historic club like Rangers — is a real example of how Japanese players are increasingly building European careers through smaller leagues rather than a single direct jump to a top-five league. For fans following Japan's growing presence in European football, a confirmed move to a club with Rangers' history is a genuinely notable step.

Rangers is one of Scottish football's most historic clubs, and manager Derek McInnes described Yokota as a player the club 'have been aware of for some time' — language that typically signals a scouted, deliberate signing rather than a late-window opportunistic move. The transfer being 'subject to international clearance and visa' is a standard formality for a non-EU player joining a UK club, not a sign the deal is in doubt.

What Fans Are Saying

• "His path through Latvia and Poland before reaching Rangers is such an unusual, interesting route into a big club."
• "Great to see another Japanese player land at a historic European club."
• "McInnes saying they'd tracked him for a while makes this feel like a scouted signing, not a last-minute panic buy."

Original Japanese

• 「ラトビアやポーランドを経てレンジャーズにたどり着くルート、すごく面白い」
• 「また日本人選手が名門クラブへ移籍するのは嬉しい」
• 「以前から注目していたという監督のコメントで、しっかり見極めた移籍だと分かる」

Easy Japanese

スコットランドの名門クラブ、レンジャーズが、日本人選手の横田大輝選手の獲得を発表しました。ドイツのハノーファー96からの移籍で、契約は3年間です。