Borussia Mönchengladbach have brought back Ko Itakura from Ajax on a four-year deal through 2030, giving the club a familiar answer to the gap left by Nico Elvedi's departure. Itakura is not arriving as an unknown project either. He already made 80 appearances for Gladbach across all competitions between 2022 and 2025, so this is a reunion with a defender the club already trusts.
Rouven Schröder tied the move directly to that need. Quoted by bundesliga.com, the Gladbach head of sport said: "We were already considering bringing Ko Itakura back to Borussia over the winter. We are delighted to have signed a player that brings exactly the experience and quality that we were looking for following Nico Elvedi's departure."
A return that suits both sides
Gladbach have not tried to present this as anything flashy. The message from the club is straightforward: they wanted experience, they wanted quality, and they wanted someone who could step in quickly after losing an established defender.
That makes Itakura an obvious fit. He knows the club, the environment and the league from his first spell, which should matter for a side that looked vulnerable at the back last season. Gladbach finished 12th in the 2025 Bundesliga table and conceded 53 league goals in 34 matches. For a team in that position, a defender who can arrive without a long settling-in period feels like a smart piece of business.
The club's interest was also not sudden. Schröder said Gladbach had already been looking at bringing Itakura back over the winter, which gives the move a bit more weight than a late-market reaction. It reads more like a target they returned to when the squad need became clearer.
Itakura's own reaction matched that tone. Quoted by bundesliga.com, he said: "I'm very happy to be back at Borussia. I missed the club a lot and when the offer arrived, I decided to come back. It feels like being back home."
The context after Ajax
The move back to Gladbach comes after Itakura's spell with Ajax, and there is no need to dress it up as a simple step down or sideways switch. The bigger point is that Gladbach see him as ready-made, while he returns from a club that still operated against high-level opposition.
Ajax finished 32nd in the 2025 Champions League table, taking 6 points from 8 matches and conceding 21 goals. Those numbers are hardly glowing from a team point of view, but they do show the level of matches Itakura has been around before coming back to Germany.
For Gladbach, the more relevant numbers are their own. They scored 42 league goals in 34 matches in 2025, but the defensive issue was more pressing. Bringing back a centre-back who already knows the club is a pretty clear response to that, especially after Elvedi's exit.
There is also a practical edge to the reunion beyond sentiment. Itakura will wear Gladbach's No.6 shirt, and the club's next listed competitive match is away to Schott Mainz in the DFB Cup first round on 23 August. That fixture now becomes the first chance to see how quickly this return starts to look like the solution Gladbach believe it is.
FAQ
Why have Borussia Mönchengladbach re-signed Ko Itakura from Ajax?
Gladbach have framed Itakura's return as a practical answer to Nico Elvedi's departure. Rouven Schröder said the club had been considering bringing him back since winter and described him as the player with the experience and quality they wanted. His previous spell at the club also means he arrives without an adjustment period in the same way a new signing might.
How long is Ko Itakura's new Borussia Mönchengladbach contract?
Itakura has signed a four-year deal through to 2030 after returning from Ajax. The move brings him back to a club where he previously made 80 appearances across all competitions between 2022 and 2025.
What does Ko Itakura's return mean for Borussia Mönchengladbach's defence?
Gladbach's defensive record helps explain the move. They finished 12th in the 2025 Bundesliga table and conceded 53 league goals in 34 matches. With Nico Elvedi gone, the club have turned to a defender they already know, rather than taking a risk on a less familiar option.
When could Ko Itakura feature again for Borussia Mönchengladbach?
Gladbach's next listed competitive match is away to Schott Mainz in the DFB Cup first round on 23 August. That is the next fixture on the schedule after Itakura's return was confirmed, though there is no claim yet that he will definitely make his second debut in that game.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
