Tue Jan 07, 2025 9:58 am
Cardiff City player exit officially confirmed after 'toughest year of his life'
The defender has left the club in search of game time
By Glen Williams
Cardiff City defender Ryotaro Tsunoda has officially joined KV Kortrijk on loan.
The move also sees striker Roko Simic return to Cardiff after playing just four times for the Belgian club, which is also owned by Bluebirds owner Vincent Tan, before suffering an injury.
After nine appearances he was one of the club's best players according to the stats metrics, however a hamstring injury which required surgery and lengthy rehabilitation means he has been out of action since April.
Having turned out a couple of times of Cardiff's under-21s before the new year, Tsunoda was deemed fit enough to head out to the Belgian top flight and complete a half-season loan stint there to ready him for the 2025/26 campaign with Cardiff.
The injury lay-off was no doubt a struggle for the 25-year-old. However, he hopes better things lay ahead for him in 2025.
Cardiff will also view it as one player off their books. The Bluebirds had a filled 25-man quota of registered players, meaning they wouldn't have been able to bring in anyone over the age of 21 if players weren't shipped out.
Roco Simic does not count towards that quota because he is 21.