Cho Jae-who? Shimizu S-Pulse sign Yuichiro Nagai

Shimizu S-Pulse have pulled off a real coup, in my opinion, with the announcement that Kenta Hasegawa's side have lured disgruntled ex-Urawa Reds striker Yuichiro Nagai to Nihondaira Stadium.

Nagai has real pedigree - he came up through the youth ranks at Urawa before playing almost 300 games for the Saitama side, and scored four goals during a season-long loan spell at 2.Bundesliga club Karlsruher SC in the late nineties. 

He's also played four times for his country and was named the Player Of The Tournament in the 2007 AFC Champions League, but after being confined to a bit-part role by now departed coach Gert Engels last season, Nagai has departed in a huff to take up a new challenge in Shimizu. 

Nagai will be welcomed with open arms by a club that has released Brazilian attackers Fernandinho and Marcos Aurelio, while the bullocking Takuro Yajima has signed on with Kawasaki Frontale and veteran Akinori Nishizawa has departed for J2 to link up with his former club Cerezo Osaka.

S-Pulse already possess Japanese youngsters Shinji Okazaki - who recently made his full international debut - and Kazuki Hara up front, while Norwegian veteran Frode Johnsen has also inked a deal in Shimizu, as the club look to return to rediscover the form they displayed during Korean striker Cho Jae-Jin's goal-laden spell at the club.

Nagai could be just the kind of player to propel S-Pulse into the AFC Champions League.

He's vastly experienced, deceptively quick, has a good finish and, perhaps most importantly, Nagai has a point to prove.

Like several other Urawa players he grew increasingly disillusioned with the back-room politics threatening to split the Reds star-studded squad apart. Rather than play second fiddle to Edmilson and Naohiro Takahara - who both endured decidedly mediocre campaigns in 2008 - Nagai will instead look to stamp his authority on Shimizu S-Pulse.

At just 29 he's arguably still got his best football in front of him.

He may have arrived from the hated Reds, but Shimizu S-Pulse fans won't care. Yuichiro Nagai is in the prime of his career. Here's hoping that his link-up with S-Pulse proves a match made in heaven.