The team got back to the training ground in Maishima and started preseason training yesterday.

This year, they will have a training camp only in Miyazaki Prefecture and instead the U-23 team will visit Thailand for their first training camp probably becuase the J1 League season opener will be held on February 21, which is the earliest in its history.

After finishing the first training session of 2020, the newly-joined players and staff attended an unveiling press conference along with club president Hiroaki Morishima, new GM Satoshi Kajino, and manager Miguel Angel Lotina.

🌸2020 #セレッソ大阪 チーム始動記者会見🌸

新加入選手と監督が出席。後列左から、#松本凪生、#藤尾翔太、#西尾隆矢、#田平起也、#西川潤。前列左から #小池裕太、#坂元達裕、#島村拓弥、#ロティーナ 監督、#吉馴空矢、#喜田陽、#豊川雄太。

📸会見の模様https://t.co/ov7nwjoB1b #cerezo pic.twitter.com/lgcj7Z6qQh

— まいど！セレッソ (@my_cerezo) January 12, 2020

So far, nearly 20 players have joined the club or returned from loan this winter.

• Ahn Joon-soo (returned from Kagoshima United)
• Takumi Nagaishi (returned back from Renofa Yamaguchi)
• Honoya Shoji (returned from Oita Trinita)
• Ryuya Nishio (joined from Cerezo Osaka U-18)
• Tatsuya Tabira (joined from Kobe Koryo Gakuen High School)
• Yuta Koike (joined from STVV)
• Takaya Yoshinare (joined from Cerezo Osaka U-18)
• Daichi Akiyama (returned from Montedio Yamagata)
• Hinata Kida (returned from Avispa Fukuoka)
• Taiga Maekawa (returned from Avispa Fukuoka)
• Tatsuhiro Sakamoto (joined from Montedio Yamagata)
• Takuya Shimamura (joined from Kyoto Sanga)
• Jun Nishikawa (joined from Toko Gakuen High School)
• Yuta Toyokawa (joined from KAS Eupen)
• Hirofumi Yamauchi (returned from Machida Zelvia)
• Hiroto Yamada (returned from FC Ryukyu)
• Shota Fujio (joined from Cerezo Osaka U-18)

Beside the signing of Yuta Koike, what surprised the supporters is that the club decided to keep players who are seen to be not good enough for the first team but too old for the U-23 side. One thing GM Kajino made clear in the press conference is that his intention is to “bring back the players who were out on loan and give them a chance to grab a chance.” So some more outgoing transfers can happen until (and depending on the case, even after) the 2020 season begins.

One more thing which should be mentioned is the situation about Souza. According to GM Kajino and some reports, Souza is on his way out of Cerezo Osaka and set to join Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq. Cerezo seemingly want to keep him in the upcoming season too but he already had a medical checkup in Saudi Arabia according to Daily Sports. Cerezo will get some money from the transfer as the contract with Souza still has a year. If he leaves the club, Cerezo are likely to sign Brazilian defensive midfielder Lucas Mineiro on loan from Chapecoense, reports said.