Hull City Sign Japan International Hidemasa Morita on Free Transfer

Hull City’s Premier League preparations have taken a serious step up. The newly promoted club have secured the signing of Japan international Hidemasa Morita on a two-year deal, with an option for a further season.

The 31-year-old midfielder arrives on a free transfer after leaving Sporting, choosing Hull despite interest from fellow top-flight newcomers Ipswich Town. For a side stepping back into the Premier League spotlight, this is a move that carries real weight.

Morita does not come to England to learn on the job. He comes decorated. During four years in Portugal, he collected multiple trophies, including two Primeira Liga titles and the Taça de Portugal, and played his part in Sporting’s run to the Champions League quarter-finals last season. He featured 23 times in Europe’s elite competition, experience that instantly raises the ceiling of Hull’s midfield.

At international level, Morita has 40 caps for Japan, a regular presence in a national team that demands tactical discipline and technical quality. Hull are not gambling on potential here; they are banking on a proven operator who knows the rhythm of high-stakes football.

His arrival continues a busy week in East Yorkshire. Morita becomes Hull’s fourth signing of the summer and their third in quick succession, following the additions of Matt Targett and Óscar Zambrano. The spine of the squad is being rebuilt, piece by piece, with a clear tilt towards players who can handle the intensity of the Premier League.

Morita will join his new teammates at their training camp in Slovenia, though a minor calf issue is expected to sideline him for around a week. It is a small delay rather than a setback, but it does postpone the first glimpse of how a title-winning, Champions League-tested midfielder will reshape Hull’s approach in the top flight.