Crystal Palace have bolstered their midfield ranks this summer with the capture of Japanese international Daichi Kamada (£5.5m).
The 27-year-old could be a direct replacement for Michael Olise, who has left Selhurst Park.
Kamada, who joins from Lazio on a free transfer, will be reunited with Oliver Glasner, under whom he won the UEFA Europa League at Eintracht Frankfurt in 2021/22.
He was the Eagles’ second summer capture after Morocco international Chadi Riad’s recent arrival.
In this Scout Report, we run the rule over Kamada and ask whether he could provide value for money in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
IN QUOTES
“Daichi is a truly exceptional talent. He has been one of Europe’s best attacking midfielders in recent seasons and his experience, technical quality and commitment mark him out as an excellent addition to our already talented squad.
“I am delighted that Daichi has chosen to join Crystal Palace from the many options he had and work once more with Oliver. I am certain Palace fans will relish watching him in the weeks, months and years to come at Selhurst Park.” – Steve Parish, Crystal Palace chairman
“I’m excited to be joining Crystal Palace, and to be working with Oliver – who is a coach I know well – again. I am looking forward to testing myself in the Premier League, and hopefully the club and I can achieve all of our objectives together.” – Daichi Kamada
THE HISTORY
Kamada signed for J-League club Sagan Tosu in 2015, where he took part in 65 matches for the first team, scoring 13 goals.
It prompted a €2.5m move to Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer of 2017. However, he was restricted to just three appearances in his first season in Germany, partly due to Sebastien Haller, Luka Jovic and Ante Rebic’s form.
So, to gain first-team experience, Kamada moved on loan to Belgian side Sint-Truidense VV in 2018.
Making the most of the opportunity, he plundered 25 goals involvements in just 36 matches. A first call-up to the Japan national team followed, which provided the platform for him to break into Frankfurt’s midfield upon his return.
Playing under Adi Hutter, Kamada scored twice in a 2-1 win at Arsenal in November 2019. By the end of the season, he had reached nine goals and four assists in all competitions.
“Kamada is a technically gifted player who, under Hutter, was something of a Raumdeuter – a ‘space interpreter’ – in the mould of Thomas Muller. Like Muller, you often didn’t know where Kamada had suddenly appeared from.” – Christopher Michel, a German journalist who covered Kamada’s career closely in Frankfurt
Still, the best was yet to come.
Under Oliver Glasner, who took over at Frankfurt in 2021, Kamada excelled as an attacking midfielder, with nine goals in his first season followed up by 16 in the next.
Among all Bundesliga players in 2022/23, Kamada ranked 20th for expected goals (xG, 9.03), highlighting his threat in the final third.
KAMADA UNDER GLASNER AT FRANKFURT
| Season | Club | Competition | Apps | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | Eintracht Frankfurt | Bundesliga | 32 | 9 | 7 |
| Champions League | 8 | 3 | 0 | ||
| DFB Pokal | 6 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Super Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021/22 | Eintracht Frankfurt | Bundesliga | 32 | 4 | 3 |
| Europa League | 13 | 5 | 1 | ||
| DFB Pokal | 1 | 0 | 0 |
“I’ve only rarely encountered such an intelligent player out on the pitch. Daichi’s sense of anticipation for where dangerous spaces will open up is excellent. I trust him to find the spaces opposing teams give us.” – Oliver Glasner
After opting not to extend his contract with Frankfurt last summer, Kamada joined Lazio.
His form in Italy did drop, particularly at the start but after Maurizio Sarri was replaced by Igor Tudor, who implemented a 3-4-2-1 system similar to Glasner’s, he went on to help Lazio to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia and a seventh-place finish in Serie A.
He ended the campaign with just two goals and two assists, but finished strongly, with two of those attacking returns arriving in his last six matches.
Kamada has 33 caps for Japan, scoring seven times, including four appearances at the 2022 World Cup.
WHERE DOES KAMADA FIT IN AT PALACE?
With Michael Olise now gone, the capture of Kamada looks like a shrewd piece of business by the Crystal Palace hierarchy.
While he has played in deeper central midfield roles before, Kamada will most likely operate as one of the two attacking no 10s in Glasner’s 3-4-2-1.
In that scenario, he’d play off centre-forward Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m).
Throughout his career, Kamada has performed best in a no 10 role behind a striker, most notably under Glasner at Frankfurt.
From this position, he will drift between the lines, looking to find pockets of space in and around the opposition’s penalty box.
Comfortable using both feet, Kamada can play on either flank. However, the right feels much more likely, given Eberechi Eze’s (£7.0m) left-sided preference.
Central midfield is another position he can play, of course but with Adam Wharton (£5.0m), Jefferson Lerma (£5.0m), Will Hughes (£5.0m) and a fit-again Cheick Doucoure (£5.0m) options in the engine room, it arguably doesn’t make as much sense.
We have seen him in both positions already in pre-season and he looked more effective further forward.
It’s not a given that Kamada will immediately nail down a starting role but if he can rediscover the Frankfurt form he displayed under Glasner, he’ll be hard to leave out.
FINAL THOUGHTS
With Olise gone, Kamada could become a key figure in Crystal Palace’s attack next season.
He should settle quickly, too, given that he knows Glasner’s system and is reuniting with a coach he is already familiar with.
There may be an adjustment period, of course, but he shouldn’t have too much difficulty adapting.
The stats from Glasner’s appointment onwards (Gameweek 26) last season offer further encouragement:
| Metric | Total (PL rank) |
|---|---|
| Goals | 29 (5th) |
| Goals conceded | 14 (3rd) |
| Clean sheets | 5 (=3rd) |
| Mins per xG | 60.1 (7th) |
| Mins per xGC | 83.1 (4th) |
Looking at the fixtures, a trip to Brentford and a home clash with West Ham United hands Kamada a decent start to life in south London.
Palace also host newly-promoted Leicester City in Gameweek 4.
That said, the new arrival’s goal threat could be an issue.
Even in his best season at Frankfurt in 2022/23, he was limited to a shot every 51.6 minutes. For context, Olise and Eze averaged 20.2 and 25.3 minutes per shot respectively under Glasner last season.
With Eze, Mateta, Daniel Munoz (£5.0m), Tyrick Mitchell (£5.0m), Joachim Andersen (£4.5m) and Marc Guehi (£4.5m) already to select from, and more incoming players to add to that mix, Fantasy managers will have to carefully pick and choose their Crystal Palace assets next season.
Kamada’s Fantasy appeal may boil down to his price. Starting the season with Eze, a proven performer who should be on penalties, will be the route many of us will take. If Kamada ultimately looks as effective as Eze (and it’s a big ‘if’ at this point), improving on those shot numbers, then he’s an easy downgrade.
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