Gamba Osaka will look to replicate the treble-winning feat from two years ago as the J. League runnersup settled for a single title of the Emperor's Cup in 2015.
"We are going into this challenging year resolved to push ourselves. For the team as a whole, I want to get results," said manager Kenta Hasegawa, whose side had to contend with 60 games on its calendar last season, including the Asian Champions League.
Hasegawa's team will go into the new season with nine new acquisitions. Among the new faces are Brazilian striker Ademilson, who is on loan this season after spending the last campaign with Yokohama F. Marinos on loan from his Brazilian club, Sao Paulo. Last year, he scored eight goals in 33 J1 games.
"I'll give everything I have to win titles," said the 22-year-old Ademilson, who represented Brazil at Under-17, 20 and 23 levels.
Hiroto Goya, dubbed the best forward to come out of the university ranks this year, is also eager to add firepower to the team, which already boasts the likes of Brazilian Patric and former Bayern Munich forward Takashi Usami. Gamba fell far below champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima in goals scored last campaign, 73-56.
"We have a lot of quality in attack, but I'll be vying for a starting place from my first year," said the 22-year-old Goya.