Former West Ham United record signing Sébastien Haller is attempting to rebuild his career in Japan after making an encouraging start with Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
The 32-year-old joined the J1 League club during the summer after leaving Utrecht and has quickly rediscovered some of his goalscoring touch.
Haller has scored three times and provided one assist across his first six league appearances in Japan.
That represents a positive start for a striker whose career has taken him across several countries since leaving the London Stadium.
Sébastien Haller makes bright start in Japan
Haller opened his Sanfrecce Hiroshima account against Urawa Red Diamonds before scoring again against Nagoya Grampus and Fagiano Okayama.
His official J.League record shows three goals and an assist from six appearances since making his league debut in August.
One of his best outings came against Nagoya, when Haller came off the bench to score one goal and create another during a 3-0 victory.
His most recent appearance came against Fagiano Okayama on 6 September, when he scored despite Hiroshima suffering a 3-2 defeat.
Haller has subsequently been absent from Hiroshima’s last two league line-ups, including their 6-1 win over Cerezo Osaka and 1-0 victory at Avispa Fukuoka.
No clear explanation for that absence has yet emerged.
West Ham move never produced expected return
Haller remains an intriguing figure for West Ham supporters because of the expectations surrounding his arrival in east London.
The Hammers paid around £45million to sign him from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019, making him their record signing at the time.
His early promise was evident when he scored twice in a 3-1 victory over Watford, but he never consistently replicated the form that had made him one of the Bundesliga’s most sought-after forwards.
Haller eventually left for Ajax in January 2021 for considerably less than West Ham had originally paid, leaving the club searching for another centre-forward.
That departure was followed by West Ham attempting to sign Youssef En-Nesyri as his replacement.
Haller subsequently rebuilt his reputation at Ajax before spells with Borussia Dortmund, Leganés and Utrecht.
His career has also included far more significant challenges away from ordinary football matters, including his successful return to professional football following treatment for testicular cancer.
He later scored the winning goal for Ivory Coast in the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations final.
Now another unusual chapter has begun in Japan.
