St. Pauli confirm first winter signing

On the first day of 2026, FC St. Pauli announced their first signing of the winter transfer window.

FC St. Pauli have sealed the capture of Tomoya Ando from Japanese side Avispa Fukuoka.

The Bundesliga outfit confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Japanese centre-back on Thursday. the length of his contract was not disclosed.

“With the signing of Tomoya, we are adding extra flexibility to our defence, as he can be deployed in any position within a back three,” said sporting director Andreas Bornemann. 

“Over the past few years, he has consistently adapted quickly to higher levels of competition and developed into a national team player. That’s why we are confident that he can immediately play an important role for us as well.”

Ando, who has earned three caps for the Japanese national team, added:

“Moving to the Bundesliga is an important step for me, and I think now is the perfect time.

“I want to continue my development at FC St. Pauli and I am convinced that I have found the right club for that, especially since other Japanese players have successfully taken this path before me. Now I am looking forward to the new team, the new challenge, and getting started soon.”