Borussia Mönchengladbach Close in on Daiki Hashioka After Konoplya Injury

Borussia Mönchengladbach are moving quickly to plug a hole they never expected to have this early in pre-season.

With new right-back Yukhym Konoplya sidelined by a knee injury, the club are closing in on Japanese international Daiki Hashioka, with Sky Germany reporting that an agreement has been reached with Slavia Prague for a loan deal including an option to buy. The 27-year-old is scheduled for a medical on Thursday, a final step before he becomes the latest piece in a rapidly rebuilt Gladbach squad.

Gladbach react to Konoplya blow

Konoplya’s setback has forced a rethink on the fly. The Ukrainian, only just through the door himself, suffered a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during the 2-1 friendly win over Rot-Weiss Essen. A routine warm-up game, a serious consequence.

He is expected to be out for around two months and will miss the entire Tegernsee training camp, a crucial phase in Eugen Polanski’s preparations. For a new signing trying to bed into a new league, new teammates, new demands, it is a brutal interruption.

So Gladbach have turned to Hashioka.

The Japan international, capped 12 times, offers more than just a like-for-like replacement at right-back. Last season he featured on loan at KAA Gent, making 17 appearances, and has built a reputation as a defender who can shift across the back line or push higher up on the right flank. For a coach who wants tactical flexibility and cover in multiple zones, that profile matters.

If the deal is finalised, Hashioka will be Gladbach’s eighth signing of the summer and their second Japanese arrival, following defensive midfielder Zento Uno. The pattern is clear: younger, versatile, hungry players, with the potential to grow in value.

Uno eases into life at Borussia-Park

While one Japanese player waits for his medical, another has already stepped onto the training pitch.

Zento Uno took part in his first team session on Tuesday. The 22-year-old was eased in gently, involved mainly in drills with limited physical contact as the club carefully manages his workload before the more intense days of the training camp.

Communication, always a potential stumbling block for new arrivals, is being handled head-on. Gladbach have assigned interpreter Atsushi Waki to work with Uno in tactical meetings and on the training ground, ensuring nothing gets lost between Polanski’s instructions and the midfielder’s execution.

“With a translator, we can ensure that our messages come across exactly as we intend them to,” Polanski explained, outlining a clear plan to integrate Uno step by step. The idea is simple: use this week to build his base so that, by the time the squad heads to Tegernsee, Uno can train fully and compete for minutes straight away.

Busy summer, more movement ahead

On the pitch, the schedule is already mapped out. Before travelling to Rottach-Egern, Gladbach will face Hansa Rostock in another pre-season test. Once in Bavaria, they will meet local side FC Rottach-Egern and then measure themselves against Bundesliga rivals Hoffenheim. Each game another data point for Polanski as he shapes his first-choice XI and the depth chart behind it.

Off the pitch, the numbers tell their own story. The Foals have invested around €12.5 million in new players so far, while generating roughly €21 million from sales. It is a rebuild, but a controlled one, with room left for further manoeuvre.

And the outgoing door may not be closed. Nathan Ngoumou, Tomas Cvancara and Florian Neuhaus are all mentioned as possible departures. Any one of them leaving would shift the dynamics of the squad again and potentially open the way for more targeted reinforcements.

For now, the immediate priority is clear: get Hashioka through the medical, stabilise the right side of defence, and bring Uno up to full speed. Pre-season windows do not wait. Nor does the Bundesliga.