Southampton defender Yukinari Sugawara has strongly hinted that he would welcome a permanent move to Werder Bremen, with family happiness emerging as a deciding factor in his thinking.
Bild Hamburg covered the 25-year-old's comments today. He shared a funny anecdote about his life at the Germa Club, including his daughter's hatred of his beard.
Sugawara arrived at Werder Bremen last summer primarily as cover for the back line dealing with injury concerns. Instead, he has become a regular and reliable presence.
He has already made 23 Bundesliga appearances, logging 1,935 minutes, while providing four assists and helping the team record five clean sheets.
From squad depth to defensive mainstay
He has been a key player so far, registering four assists and creating several chances, while also contributing to five clean sheets at the other end.
BILD report that he is the 'most reliable' of the seven players currently on loan at the club.
The loan deal includes an option for Werder to purchase Sugawara permanently for around €6m.
While reports have indicated that they will be Will be happy to pay it, The rescuer has accepted him There is concern that the German side may not tolerate him.
Family happiness motivates decisions
In the meantime, he has settled in at the club with his family. BILD reports that he 'feels at home' in Bremen. It's a sentiment shared by his family, although his daughter has one complaint.
"My daughter hates my beard. She has told me this many times over the years," he said.
"That's why I recently shaved it. But my beard is quite thick. After two or three days, it grows back again. And I don't want to waste time shaving every day. When I shaved it the other day, my daughter had tears in her eyes and she said, 'Daddy, I love you so much without the beard.'
"Maybe I'll shave again on Thursday. Not for the game, but for my daughter. She's number one, she's in charge."
"It takes me ten to fifteen minutes just to shave. And I have to stand in front of the mirror while I'm doing it. And I have to moisturize my skin. In total, it's 30 minutes. Doing that three or four times a week, I don't want to do that. I'm a little lazy. But I'll do it for my daughter."
Southampton's promotion push puts final decision
Whether Sugawara stays in Germany will depend on what happens at Southampton this season.
Failure to secure promotion to the Premier League would certainly prompt the Saints to accept the deal proposed by Bremen, even if it is less than the previously agreed €6m deal.
But with Southampton just three points outside the top six at this point, there's every chance they could slip back into the top flight. And he will, perhaps, leave any decisions about Sugawara until the end of the season.
