Henry Heroki Mochizuki
If Lincoln City are looking to identify stylistic fits rather than simply chasing raw numbers, Henry Heroki Mochizuki immediately feels like a natural option. The 24-year-old currently plays for Machida Zelvia, a side whose tactical approach mirrors plenty of what Michael Skubala wants from his team. They press intelligently, play directly, often concede possession and place a heavy emphasis on set pieces.
Even the coaching profile sounds familiar. Machida boss Go Kuroda moved into senior football after years working in youth development and education. If Lincoln’s recruitment department were trying to reverse engineer suitable overseas targets by looking at clubs with similar approaches, Mochizuki would likely emerge very quickly.
The Japanese international has an eye-catching physical profile. Standing at 192cm, he has spent time as a centre back, right back and wing back, offering the sort of tactical flexibility City value heavily. He played 2,442 minutes during the 2025 J League season, making 32 appearances with 26 starts, contributing one goal and one assist while avoiding both red cards and significant injuries.
His aerial numbers are extremely impressive, while his progressive carries and long pass percentages suggest a defender who actively looks to move his side up the pitch. Clips show a genuinely unusual player profile, a 6ft 3 defender confidently driving down the wing with the ball at his feet. Once he gets moving, he covers ground quickly and regularly joins attacks with aggressive forward runs.
There are still questions to answer. His tackles adjusted for possession sit at just 0.13 per 90, which could indicate passivity out of possession or simply a different defensive approach built around positioning and anticipation. However, his duel success suggests he is comfortable defending one-versus-one situations when required.
Comfortable on both feet, physically dominant and capable of operating across the back line, Mochizuki feels like a profile that has Lincoln City written all over it.