Yumeki Yokoyama (横山夢樹): Elite Dribble CBP, a Four-Cap J1 Sample
Words & data analysis | Choi Bong-jin (Far Post Analytics operator)
Scouting Report #009 · Wide forward · Cerezo Osaka. A right-footed dribbler with two full seasons of goal contribution across a J3-to-J2 tier promotion at FC Imabari, now four J1 appearances into a permanent Cerezo move — his dribble CBP already ranks 2nd in J1, but the sample is 241 minutes. Verdict: WATCH.
Data: Football LAB, J.League official records, current through the 29 August 2026 J1 fixture
Key takeaways
- Two full seasons of goal contribution at FC Imabari across a tier promotion — 11 in J3 (2024), 12 in J2 (2025) — a two-tier track record most European databases will not have flagged, because Imabari itself only reached J2 in 2025.
- His J1 sample at Cerezo Osaka is four appearances, 241 minutes — well below the 900-minute reliability threshold. Any read of his J1 output should be treated as an early signal, not a settled profile.
- Football LAB's Chance Building Point data already shows a clear shape: dribble score ranks 2nd among tracked J1 players, far ahead of his overall attack rank (23rd) or shot rank (60th) — and bottom-decile in defense (300th) and ball-winning (349th).
- A single UK-based scout named him in an August 2026 report relayed by Japanese media as a name worth tracking in an under-scouted market. That is one scouting opinion, not a confirmed European approach — there is no reported contact between Cerezo Osaka and any club.
- Verdict: WATCH — the dribble signal is real and already visible in the data; certifying the profile requires a full J1 season of minutes.
Attacking midfielder / wide forward, right side · Born 23 September 2005 (age 20, turns 21 this month) · 172cm / 65kg · Cerezo Osaka (J1) · Verdict: WATCH
A right-footed, dribble-first wide attacker with two full seasons of proven J2/J3 goal contribution at FC Imabari, now four J1 appearances into a permanent move to Cerezo Osaka. The underlying skill signal — an elite Chance Building Point dribble rank — is already visible in the data. The J1-level sample is too small to certify the profile yet.
Profile
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Yumeki Yokoyama (横山夢樹) |
| Age | 20 (b. 23 September 2005 — turns 21 this month) |
| Position | Attacking midfielder / wide forward, right side (Football LAB: OH — Offensive Half) |
| Club | Cerezo Osaka (J1), squad no. 14 |
| Nationality | Japan |
| Height / weight | 172cm / 67kg |
| Preferred foot | Right |
| Contract | Reported through 30 June 2027 (third-party database, not confirmed by club) |
| Market value (algorithmic est.) | €600K–€740K range across data providers — not a club valuation or disclosed fee |
| Transfer history | Permanent transfer, FC Imabari → Cerezo Osaka, 12 January 2026. Fee undisclosed by both clubs. |
Why he is undervalued
Yokoyama spent two full seasons producing goal contributions at FC Imabari across a tier promotion — 11 goal contributions in 1,555 minutes in J3 (2024), then 12 in 1,423 minutes after Imabari stepped up to J2 (2025) — before a January 2026 permanent move to J1 side Cerezo Osaka. That is a two-tier track record most European recruitment databases will not have flagged yet, because Imabari itself only reached J2 in 2025.
Since arriving at Cerezo, his J1 sample is tiny (four appearances, 241 minutes at time of writing), but one number already stands out: his Chance Building Point dribble score ranks 2nd among tracked J1 players this season, well ahead of his overall attack ranking (23rd) or shot ranking (60th). That gap — elite carrying ability outpacing a still-developing finishing and passing profile — is exactly the kind of signal that shows up in the data before it shows up in transfer fees.
He also already carries a full Japan youth-international pathway (U-19 through U-23, including the January 2026 U-23 Asian Cup), and was named by UK-based scout Andreas Anderson in an August 2026 report as a name worth tracking in an under-scouted market — though that is a single scouting opinion relayed via Japanese media, not a confirmed European approach.
Statistical fingerprint
J1 — Cerezo Osaka, 2026/27 season. ⚠ Small sample — 241 minutes, below the 900-minute reliability threshold.
| Metric | Total | Per 90 |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances / minutes | 4 apps (4 starts) / 241 min | — |
| Goals | 1 | 0.37 |
| Assists | 0 | 0.00 |
| Shots | 5 | 1.87 |
| Shot conversion | 20.0% | — |
2026 transitional / regional-round competition (Cerezo Osaka). ⚠ Small sample, and a different competitive tier — kept separate from the J1 table above, not merged into it.
| Metric | Total | Per 90 |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances / minutes | 18 apps (9 starts) / 826 min | — |
| Goals | 4 | 0.44 |
| Assists | 1 | 0.11 |
| Shots | 25 | 2.72 |
| Shot conversion | 16.0% | — |
Prior track record — FC Imabari (reliable sample sizes).
| Season / Tier | Apps / Min | Goals | Assists | G+A per 90 | Shots per 90 | Conversion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 — J3 | 29 (23 starts) / 1,555 | 6 | 5 | 0.64 | 3.01 | 11.5% |
| 2025 — J2 | 25 (14 starts) / 1,423 | 6 | 6 | 0.76 | 4.37 | 8.7% |
Chance Building Point — J1 2026/27 (Football LAB)
Rank-based index, not a true percentile — Football LAB publishes each category's rank but not the total pool size.
| Category | Score | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Dribble (ドリブル) | 3.92 | 2nd |
| Attack (攻撃) | 7.15 | 23rd |
| Goal (ゴール) | 4.08 | 29th |
| Cross (クロス) | 1.54 | 32nd |
| Shot (シュート) | 3.72 | 60th |
| Pass reception (パスレシーブ) | 2.77 | 131st |
| Pass (パス) | 1.69 | 208th |
| Defense (守備) | 0.33 | 300th |
| Ball-win / tackling (奪取) | 1.86 | 349th |
Role fit
At 172cm/67kg, Yokoyama's profile is a carrying, isolation-dribbler on the right rather than a physical, aerial-duel wide player. The CBP data backs this up directly: dribble output is elite (2nd), defensive and ball-winning output is bottom-tier (300th, 349th). At Cerezo Osaka he is operating as an OH/wide-forward hybrid alongside Shinji Kagawa in a system that looks to isolate him 1v1 rather than ask him to track back or combine through crowded central areas — his pass and pass-reception numbers (208th, 131st) are middling, consistent with a player who is still more individual-skill-first than link-play-first.
That profile projects more naturally into technical, possession-or-transition-based systems than into leagues built around physical duels and aerial contests. It's the same profile shape FPA has flagged as a good fit for the Belgian Pro League corridor in prior coverage.
Risk flags
| Flag | Detail |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 241 minutes at J1 level is not enough to confirm the CBP dribble signal holds up against J1 opposition over a full season — treat the current numbers as an early read, not a settled profile. |
| Defensive/pressing output | Bottom-decile in defense (300th) and ball-winning (349th) CBP scores. Any move to a system that requires wide players to defend in a back-line-of-five or press in a mid-block would be testing an unproven part of his game. |
| Passing under pressure | Pass and pass-reception CBP scores are mid-pack, not standout — the current output looks dribble-reliant rather than fully rounded. |
| Contract terms unconfirmed | Reported June 2027 expiry comes from a third-party database, not a club statement. Salary and release-clause terms are not public. |
| European interest is speculative | The Fortuna Düsseldorf / Royal Antwerp links trace to a January 2026 report from an unnamed foreign outlet, relayed by Japanese media in August 2026 alongside a UK scout's public comment — there is no confirmed contact reported between Cerezo Osaka and any European club. |
| Visa / work permit | Standard non-EU work-permit rules apply per destination league; the Belgian Pro League has historically been comparatively accessible for young J-League players, consistent with corridors FPA has tracked elsewhere on the site — but permit eligibility would need to be re-checked against the specific destination club and its quota situation at the time of any move. |
Comparable pathways
Yokoyama has not left Japan yet, so there is no direct outcome case to point to for his own move. For pattern context: FPA's existing corridor coverage on the Belgian Pro League as a recurring J-League entry point is the closest structural comparison for a technical, dribble-first J-League attacker of his size and age — see our STVV corridor and Ando/Antwerp coverage. A tighter statistical comp (similar CBP shape, similar age-at-transfer) should be pulled from the Track Record dataset directly rather than asserted here without that cross-reference.
Caveats and limitations
- The J1 sample (241 minutes) is well below FPA's 900-minute reliability threshold. Per-90 figures in the J1 table are shown for reference only and should not be treated as a settled rate.
- The 2026 transitional/regional-round competition table is a different competitive tier from J1 and is kept separate rather than merged into the J1 total.
- Contract expiry, market value and the reported Fortuna Düsseldorf / Royal Antwerp interest all trace to third-party databases or a single relayed report — none are confirmed by Cerezo Osaka or any European club.
- Football LAB's Chance Building Point figures are a rank-based index, not a published percentile — the total pool size behind each rank is not disclosed.
Frequently asked questions
Is Yumeki Yokoyama actually a midfielder or a winger?
Football LAB classifies him as MF/OH (attacking midfielder), but Japanese media consistently describe his current role as a wide attacker/winger. Both are accurate depending on the tactical frame — he's used as a right-sided attacking midfielder who functions like a wide forward in possession.
Has a European move actually been agreed?
No. All European interest reported so far is speculative — a January 2026 foreign-media report and an August 2026 scout comment, neither confirmed by Cerezo Osaka.
Sources and disclosure
- Football LAB, player data page, updated 2026-08-30 (season totals, CBP scores and ranks).
- J.League official site, player profile.
- Cerezo Osaka official website, player profile/interview (career background).
- Gekisaka, player profile (youth-national-team history, career path).
- FC Imabari official site, transfer announcement (January 2026).
- Soccerway, player profile (contract expiry, transfer date) — third-party database, not club-confirmed.
- footballtransfers.com, player profile (market value estimate) — algorithmic, not club-confirmed.
- Football Tribe Japan, 25 August 2026 (reported European scouting interest, Fortuna Düsseldorf / Royal Antwerp links).
- Football Channel, 26 May 2026 (in-season form context, transitional competition).
- Disclosure: Far Post Analytics is an independent analysis publication. It does not represent players, does not broker transfers, and receives no compensation from any club or agency. See our Editorial Policy.
Sources last verified September 3, 2026
Data sources and season coverage are stated within each article; where a report carries its own sources section, that section governs. Ages are as of data collection. Per-90 metrics are our own calculations, and the smaller a player's minutes sample, the wider the margin of error. Every number here is a starting point for scouting — never a substitute for it.
✍️ Choi Bong-jin
Operator of Far Post Analytics. I analyze scouting data for the J.League and Asian football. My goal is to find the next transfer-market star where Europe isn't looking.
About the operator →