Hiroto Yamami – Gamba Osaka’s connective playmaker

Gamba Osaka are one of Japan’s premier clubs when it comes to youth development and giving young players opportunities as with increased organization at the professional level, they could develop into a force to be reckoned with in Japanese football. Hiroto Yamami was born in Toyonaka City in the Osaka Prefecture as he attended Senrihijiri SC and Senrioka FC at academy level before moving into Toyonaka Municipal Daihachi Junior High School as he moved to Osaka Gakuin University Senior High School before graduating to Kwansei Gakuin University. Gamba Osaka do a phenomenal job of developing young players through their youth system as well as recruiting players at University and high-school level to develop them into J-League standouts.

Yamami made his debut against Shimuzu S-Pulse on the 13th of August 2021, coming off the bench in the 75th minute to score an 82nd minute winner. The 23-year-old can play in a variety of positions as he has been deployed as a second-striker, right-winger, left-winger and as an attacking midfielder as he thrives in receiving possession in between the lines, linking play together and moving into space to create opportunities with through balls and crosses. His vision and intelligence for well-weighted disguised passes allows him to create opportunities for teammates while his low centre of gravity and close control allows him to drive the ball forward and create shooting opportunities for himself. The playmaker has been unlucky with minutes so far in his career as when he has started this season, he ranks highly in ball-progression metrics, especially ball-carrying metrics while he has also ranked highly in chance creation metrics.

Away to Kashiwa Reysol, Yamami occupied good positions in between the lines, showing his ability to work connections as he utilized combination play to deliver a cross to the back-post. He received possession on the right flank, holding possession before cutting back to work a pass for Jiro Nakamura to thread a pass in behind for Yamami to have a shot saved. The 23-year-old was constantly tucking inside to find good pockets of space, receiving possession to send a chip wide as he tucked into the central areas before receiving possession to spin his marker as he played a brilliantly angled pass in between the lines which nearly found a striker. The Japanese attacker had a shot from range saved before lofting a cross into the box which resulted in a head injury for two players. Away to Consadole Sapporo, he continued to operate in tight spaces, constantly looking for the through ball to the nine-space from the wide areas while he was also looking to make runs into the nine-space.

Yamami eventually created an opportunity for a teammate, playing a one-touch pass to Hideki Ishige for the striker to have a 1v1 opportunity with the goalkeeper and have a shot saved. He received possession to cut inside and have a shot blocked in a situation where he could have cut-back for a teammate to have an opportunity on goal. The 23-year-old received possession in the central spaces, skipping past a glut of players before picking his head up to thread a wonderful through ball for Brazilian striker, Patric who mis controlled. In a friendly against Eintracht Frankfurt, he was deployed as a false-nine, receiving a deep pass in the nine-space to lay-off for a teammate before having a cut-back opportunity blocked. He constantly dropped out of the nine-space to lay-off passes as he connected play but did not offer much of a goal-threat.

This would change rather quickly, receiving possession in between the lines to take a lovely first touch, driving the ball forward to send a shot wide. Yamami made a well-timed run in behind to receive a through ball as he was fouled by the goalkeeper to earn a penalty which the Japanese attacker confidently despatched. In a home match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, he played a one-touch pass to an attacker to start a counter-attack as he was operating as a second striker. He dropped deep to receive possession in between the lines to receive possession and swivel, playing a disguised pass to a teammate making a run from the left flank as his shot cannoned off the post.

Dani Poyatos who started his tenure at Gamba Osaka this season has implemented a possession-based style which is different the team’s usual vertical and high-pressing style. When he has played Yamami, he has been deployed as a left-winger, tasked with maintaining width, connecting play, making runs off the striker and creating opportunities from the flank. At home to Sagan Tosu, he received possession on the flank, controlling the ball with the outside of his right boot to loft a cross into the box which was headed into the arms of the goalkeeper. The 23-year-old received possession near the touchline, driving the ball towards the defender before threading a pass for his fullback making an overlapping run to loft a cross into the box. In a counter-attacking situation, he was stretching the pitch, cutting inside to have a shot tipped over the bar from range. He received possession on the left flank to generate another shooting opportunity, using his left foot to cut past another defender and send a shot wide of the far post with his right foot.

Yamami received possession on the left flank once more, angling a through ball for a teammate making a run into the box who had a shot cannon off the post. The 23-year-old tucked inside to receive a lay-off to drag another shot wide of the far post. In a counter-attacking situation, he made a movement from the wide areas to the central spaces as he held possession and played a through ball to Patric who took a heavy touch and was unable to get a shot away. The attacker tucked into the central spaces, receiving the ball in the eight space to turn and drive the ball, cutting past a marker to work a pass for a teammate before the ball was played wide as he made a run into the half-space to receive possession and play a back-pass to a teammate. Away to Vissel Kobe, he dropped to receive possession in the build-up phase, working a one-two with his defender before threading a pass to the nine-space from the wide zone as he made a run into the channels to cut-back a low cross for a teammate who had his shot deflected.

The 23-year-old received possession in the wide zone, playing a disguised pass to his overlapping fullback who lobbed a cross into the box. Yamami made a perfectly timed outside-in run but he had to hold his run as a lobbed switch was played behind him as he managed to flick-on a pass to his striker with his head. He received possession in the wide zone once more, cutting inside to work a pass to his overlapping fullback as he made a run into the box as the cut-back to him was intercepted before he managed to regain possession, but he was unable to get a shot away. He received possession on the left flank once more, cutting inside and working a pass to a teammate who took a heavy touch. Away to Consadole Sapporo, he came off the bench to make a run and receive possession on the right flank, cutting inside before driving the ball outside to gain a yard of space as he attempted a cross into the box which was blocked. The 23-year-old latched onto a loose ball at the back-post to lob a cross into the box for a header that was saved.

Yamami has been relegated to the bench for recent games but at the beginning of the season, when he was earning playing time, his ball-progression by carrying and passing metrics were among the best in the league as were his chance creation metrics. The 23-year-old can receive possession in between the lines, connecting play as he is intelligent at recognizing runs in behind for through balls. He is adept at playing in the wide areas as a winger and in the central positions as a playmaker or second striker as he can receive possession in tight spaces, connect play and create opportunities. He can also utilize his dribbling to weave to the by-line to dink crosses onto the head of teammates. He can also act as a build-up conduit, receiving possession to work connections in between the lines before making runs into space to receive possession to have shooting opportunities or create chances. He can develop as a goal scorer, especially in a central role, making runs off his striker as he is akin to Keito Nakamura and Junya Ito who are two creative attackers who are thriving in European football.

With Yamami playing meagre minutes but possessing high-level potential, he could be an intriguing player to follow in the summer window. The 23-year-old would be a strong signing for teams like Utrecht, FC Twente, Heerenveen and Vitesse Arnhem. In the Bundesliga, he would be a strong signing for clubs like SC Freiburg, Koln, Mainz, Augsburg and Werder Bremen. In the Austrian Bundesliga, he would be a strong replacement for Keito Nakamura at LASK Linz as he has shown that he could play the role as he could also replace Dominik Fitz at Austria Wien while Rapid Wien and Sturm Graz would also be good clubs for him. In Switzerland, he would be a good option for a club like Basel, Young Boys while he could also be a good option for Hamburg in the German 2nd Division. In Belgium, he could be a strong option for teams like Club Brugge, Antwerp, Union Saint-Gilloise, Gent and Anderlecht. In the Liga Portugal, teams like Famalicao, Vitoria SC, Vizela and Casa Pia would be good places for his development.