Thailand's TNT media broke the news that Nguyen Quang Hai, known as the "Vietnamese Lionel Messi", may be traveling across the ocean to join Japan's Kashima Antlers.
Earlier rumors suggested that the Europa League was expected to welcome the rising star, with some media outlets even pointing to the possibility of him joining Ligue 1 side Nantes. However, in the end, Kashima Antlers seem to be the new stop in his career.
Compared to the rumors of joining Ligue 1, Nguyen Quang Hai's commitment to the Japanese league seems more reasonable. If he goes to play in Europe, I am afraid that he will have to wait for a long time before he gets a chance to play. As the transfer window for the top European leagues is closed, even leagues such as Austria, Switzerland and Denmark will not reopen until early July. This means that the 25-year-old midfielder will face a four to five month long break between now and the start of the new European season in early August.
Although Nguyen Quang Hai has yet to publicly reveal his future destination, the Vietnamese soccer superstar appears set to join the top Asian soccer scene. According to inside information from Thailand's TNT media, he is targeting Japan's top team Kashima Antlers, who have eight league titles, six league cups and five Emperor's Cups.
It is worth mentioning that Kashima Antlers have extended an olive branch to Nguyen Quang Hai. With the start of the Japanese J-League, the deadline for the transfer window (March 25) has passed. If Nguyen Kwang Hai wants to play for Kashima Antlers this season, he will have to wait until the mid-season transfer window opens, which could be as early as the end of June.
