Minamino becomes 9th Japanese in EPL history but how did the first eight get on?

Takumi Minamino joins Liverpool as the Reds' first Japanese player and the ninth to have played in the Premier League.

After his release clause of £7.25m was met, the forward became the fourth most-expensive Japanese signing in Premier League history after Shinji Kagawa, Yoshinori Muto and Shinji Okazaki.

Minamino will join two Japanese players currently active in the Premier League - Southampton defender Maya Yoshida and Newcastle United forward Muto.

Overall, the eight Japanese players to have featured in the Premier League before Minamino have been a mixed bag, ranging from title winners to being bounced around clubs on loan.

Here is everything you need to know about past and present Japanese players in the Premier League...

Maya Yoshida - 154 apps, 6 goals, 2 assists

The Southampton centre back is the most-capped Japanese player in Premier League history.

After joining from Dutch Eridivisie side VVV-Venlo in August 2012 for a £3m fee, Yoshida made his debut on 15 September in a 6-1 defeat at Arsenal.

He made his home debut in a 4-1 win over Aston Villa a week later but had to wait until February 2014 for his first league goal in a Southampton shirt – in a 3-1 defeat to West Ham United.

Shinji Okazaki – 114 apps, 14 goals, 4 assists

The Mainz forward moved to Leicester City in June 2015 for a fee of £7m.

He scored six goals in his debut season, helping the Foxes win the Premier League against all odds and also winning the 2016 Asian International Player of the Year.

However, Okazaki struggled for goals in following seasons - despite a flurry of four goals in six games in 2017 – and he was released from Leicester at the end of the 2018-19 campaign. He is now plying his trade at Huesca in the Spanish second tier.

Junichi Inamoto – 66 apps, 4 goals, 6 assists

Arsenal signed Inamoto on loan for the 2001-02 season from Japanese club Gamba Osaka, but he only made 4 appearances for the Gunners.

The midfielder is best-remembered for his time at Fulham between 2002 and 2004, where he made 41 league appearances, scored four goals and was vital to Fulham's victory in the 2002 Intertoto Cup.

He then signed for West Bromwich Albion in 2004 and made 28 league appearances for the Baggies before departing for Galatasaray in 2006.

Shinji Kagawa – 38 apps, 6 goals, 6 assists

The creative midfielder signed for Manchester United from German champions Borussia Dortmund in 2012 for an initial £12m.

Kagawa became the first Asian player to score a Premier League hat-trick in United's 4-0 victory over Norwich City in March 2013 and he went on to win the league that season.

He returned to Dortmund after two seasons at Old Trafford.

Yoshinori Muto – 23 apps, 1 goal, 0 assists

Newcastle United signed the Mainz forward for £10m in July 2018 but he is yet to find his feet in the Premier League.

Muto's only league goal came against Manchester United in October 2018 during his first start. He scored in the 10th minute to put the Magpies 2-0 up at Old Trafford, only for the Red Devils to complete a late comeback and win 3-2.

Hidetoshi Nakata – 21 apps, 1 goal, 2 assists

The Japan legend was loaned from Fiorentina to Bolton Wanderers for the 2005-06 season.

Nakata scored his only Premier League goal during a 2-0 win over West Brom, opening the scoring with a strike from just outside the area which nestled in the bottom corner.

The midfielder retired at the end of the season following the 2006 World Cup, where he featured in all three of Japan's games.

Ryo Miyaichi – 17 apps, 0 goals, 2 assists

Miyaichi began his senior career at Arsenal in 2011 after impressing Arsene Wenger during trials.

The winger made his only league appearance for the Gunners in 2013, coming off the bench during a 3-1 win over Stoke City.

Arsenal loaned Miyaichi out to Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic, but he never scored in the Premier League before leaving for German club St Pauli permanently in 2015.

Kazuyuki Toda – 4 apps, 0 goals, 0 assists

Toda was loaned to Tottenham Hotspur by Japanese club Shimizu S-Pulse in 2003 for a brief stint in North London.

He only featured in one Spurs victory – a 3-2 win over West Brom in which he was hauled off at half-time with the score at 1-1.

His other appearances came in defeats to Manchester City, Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers before he was loaned out elsewhere by S-Pulse.