Takuma Asano will spend this season on loan at Stuttgart just a few weeks after the Japan forward signed for Arsenal, the London club have announced.
Asano was always expected to be sent out to a European club for the upcoming campaign when Arsenal signed the 21-year-old striker in June, and he also failed to be granted a British work permit.
The Gunners announced on Friday that the pacey forward will spend his first season outside Japan in the Bundesliga as he adapts to European football.
"We would like to wish Takuma well for his season in Stuttgart," the club said in a statement.
Good luck, Takuma �� https://t.co/bnoHGQkjpQ
- Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) August 26, 2016
Asano has been labelled as a prospect for the future by Arsene Wenger, and he impressed at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics by scoring two goals for Japan. He was signed from Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who was named the Japanese league's rookie of the year in 2015 after helping the club win the title.
Asano is hoping to follow in the footsteps of countryman Shinji Okazaki, who made a name for himself at Stuttgart before eventually moving to Leicester and helping the team win the Premier League last season.
"Shinji Okazaki plays in the same position as me and is also very successful in the Premier League, so he is the one that I aspire to become," Asano told the September issue of Arsenal Magazine. "I hope to get closer to him as a player."