Borussia Mönchengladbach Pursue Daiki Hashioka After Konoplya Injury
Borussia Mönchengladbach have wasted no time reacting to their first major setback of pre-season. With Yukhym Konoplya sidelined, the club are closing in on Japanese international Daiki Hashioka to plug a suddenly vulnerable right flank.
According to Sky Germany, as reported by transfermarkt.de, Gladbach have reached an agreement with Slavia Prague for a loan deal that includes an option to buy. Hashioka is expected to complete his medical on Thursday, a formality that would make him the club’s eighth signing of the summer and the second from Japan.
At 27, the defender arrives with enough experience to step straight into a problem position. Capped 12 times by Japan, Hashioka spent last season on loan at KAA Gent, making 17 appearances. He is primarily a right-back, but his profile offers more than a simple like-for-like replacement: he can also slot into central defence or operate higher up the right wing.
That flexibility suddenly matters a great deal.
Konoplya, one of the headline arrivals of the window, suffered a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during a 2-1 friendly win over Rot-Weiss Essen. The Ukrainian will be out for around two months and is set to miss all team sessions during the club’s training camp at Tegernsee. For a new coach trying to bed in a rebuilt squad, that is a significant blow.
Hashioka’s potential arrival, then, is less luxury and more necessity.
Uno steps onto the training pitch
While one Japanese player edges closer to signing, another has already begun the process of settling in. Zento Uno, the 22-year-old defensive midfielder, took part in his first full team training session on Tuesday.
The club handled his introduction carefully. Uno was used mainly in exercises with limited physical contact, with the plan to ramp up his workload gradually before the squad heads to Tegernsee. The idea is clear: integrate him without overloading him.
Communication is being treated as seriously as conditioning. Gladbach have assigned interpreter Atsushi Waki to shadow Uno during tactical meetings and on the training ground.
“With a translator, we can ensure that our messages come across exactly as we intend them to,” head coach Eugen Polanski explained. “We’re using this week to ease him into the workload so that, ideally, he’ll be able to participate fully at training camp.”
The club’s attention to detail underlines how important Uno is to their midfield reshaping—and how determined they are to avoid any early missteps.
Busy window, more movement ahead
On the pitch, the schedule starts to tighten. Gladbach face Hansa Rostock before travelling to Rottach-Egern, where friendlies against local side FC Rottach-Egern and Bundesliga rivals Hoffenheim await. Those games will offer a first real glimpse of how Polanski’s ideas translate with a heavily refreshed squad.
Off it, the numbers tell their own story. The Foals have invested around €12.5 million in new players while bringing in approximately €21 million from sales. The rebuild is not just sporting; it is financial, too.
And it may not be finished. Further departures remain on the table, with Nathan Ngoumou, Tomas Cvancara and Florian Neuhaus all mentioned as possible exits.
A new right-back likely on the way, a young Japanese midfielder being carefully integrated, key players potentially heading for the door—Gladbach’s summer is anything but quiet. The question now is whether this bold reshaping will give Polanski the platform he needs once the Bundesliga pressure starts to bite.
