Rangers have strengthened their squad by signing Japanese winger Daisuke Yokota from Hannover on a three-year contract, with the Scottish club holding an option to extend the deal by a further season. The 26-year-old becomes Rangers’ ninth arrival of the summer transfer window.
Yokota’s career has taken him across several European leagues after leaving Japan as a teenager. He began his development in Germany with FSV Frankfurt and Carl Zeiss Jena before enjoying spells at Latvian champions Valmiera and Polish side Gornik Zabrze.
His performances earned him a move to Belgian club Gent in 2024, although he struggled to secure a regular first-team role. Loan spells followed at Kaiserslautern and Hannover, where he impressed with five goals and four assists in Germany’s second division. Hannover completed a permanent transfer earlier this summer before Rangers moved quickly to bring him to Ibrox.
The new signing arrives to strengthen Rangers’ attacking options on the wings following the departure of Tottenham loanee Mikey Moore after last season. Djeidi Gassama remains part of the squad, while academy graduate Findlay Curtis has returned from his loan spell at Kilmarnock and featured in the club’s 1-1 Scottish Premiership draw against Dundee United on the opening weekend.
Manager Derek McInnes identified Yokota as a long-term target, highlighting the winger’s pace, direct style and experience gained across multiple European leagues as qualities that can add greater attacking threat to the squad.
Yokota will now await international clearance and a visa before being eligible to play. Rangers have not confirmed whether the winger will be available for Thursday’s Europa League third qualifying round first-leg match against Jagiellonia Bialystok in Poland.