Walsh: Okazaki will be a big hit

Posted Wednesday, July 08, 2015 by Foxsports.com

Leicester City assistant manager Steve Walsh believes new recruit Shinji Okazaki will be a huge success in the Premier League next season.

The 29-year-old Japan international striker joined Leicester on a four-year deal from Bundesliga outfit FC Mainz, having scored 43 goals in 93 appearances for the Samurai Blue.

"Shinji's a good fit for the Premier League because he's mentally tough and I think you need to be not just physically capable, but mentally strong as well. He's obviously Japan's star player at the moment," Walsh told Leicester's official website.

"I'm really pleased to get him. He's a real talent. I think the fans will take to him. Not only is he good with the ball, but also out of possession he's exactly what we need."

"He is a high energy player. He is very opportunistic and any mistakes that are made by defenders he will capitalize on that and stick the ball in the net. That is his main asset."

"Out of possession, he knows how to play. He knows the positional sense and he's able to close players down. His work rate is phenomenal."

Speaking to the Leicester City news channel, Okazaki spoke about his desire to demonstrate his ability in the Premier League.

"I will do my best to show how I can play and try to score a lot of goals for the supporters," he said.

"I watched every match last season in the Premier League and not all of them are easy. There were hard games."

"In the last few games the crowds were great and the players responded. It was an amazing result at the end of the season. It's a huge challenge to come here to the Premier League but I hope I can show everyone what I can do."