As we close in on the transfer window actually opening it’s maybe worthwhile having a review of where the rumours currently stand as Ange Postecoglou looks to add to the three signings he’s already made and the club decides what is going to happen regarding the interest in Josip Juranovic and the seemingly unhappy Giorgos Giakoumakis. On top of that players like Yusake Ideguchi and Oliver Abildgaard could be moved on if they are no longer part of the manager’s plans.
Ange Postecoglou brought in both Ally Johnston from CF Montreal for a transfer fee of around £2.5m. The Canada World Cup star has been joined in The Celtic squad by left-sided Japanese central defender Yuki Kobayashi, who joins Celtic from Vissel Kobe, with both players signing five year deals.
And today Celtic confirmed the signing of current J-League Player of the Year and Japanese international Tomoki Iwata. The club’s signing announcement reads as follows via the official Celtic website:
Celtic Football Club is delighted to announce that it has signed Japanese Player of the Year and internationalist, Tomoki Iwata from Yokohama F Marinos, subject to international clearance. Just last month, Tomoki was named the J League Player of the Year after a fantastic season for his club as they lifted the League Championship title in Japan.
The 25-year-old can play in a variety of midfield and defensive positions. He will join Celtic initially on loan but with a compulsory purchase clause included, meaning he will be with Celtic on a permanent basis from this summer, on a long-term deal.
Celtic manager, Ange Postecoglou said: “We really are delighted to be bringing Tomoki to Celtic and I am sure he will be a player that our supporters will like. He is a versatile player who can operate in defence in midfield, a really committed footballer with some great attributes. He is at a great age for us where his career is on the right trajectory, but he already has a good level of experience.
“He has just had a brilliant season, he is very deserving of the accolade he has recently received as Japan’s Player of the Year and we are sure he can also bring this real high level of quality to our squad.”
“I really am delighted to be joining Celtic, such a huge and successful club known across the world. I can’t wait to begin my journey with Celtic. Everything about Celtic excites me – the scale of the club, the supporters, the atmosphere, the style of football which the club is famous for and of course working with the manager and players,” Tomoki said:
“I am really looking forward to getting started, to meet my new team-mates and begin working on bringing our fans more and more success.”
🆕✍️ #WelcomeTomoki
We are delighted to announce the signing of current J-League Player of the Year and Japanese international Tomoki Iwata.
Welcome to #CelticFC, Tomoki! 🍀🇯🇵
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) December 30, 2022
There five current rumours with the most likely being the imminent signing – now confirmed – of another Japanese star, this time 25 year-old Tomoki Iwata is the player taking the now well trodden path from the J-League – where he has just been named the player of the year to Paradise in the East End of Glasgow. Tomoki Iwata is a defensive midfielder who is well known to Ange Postecoglou as he signed him for Yokohama F. Marinos.
Bringing in Tomoki Iwata adds credence to the rumours coming out of Russia this week that Celtic are planning to terminate the loan deal with FC Rubin Kazan for their Danish midfielder Abildgaard.
And it also explains the speculation that Yusake Ideguchi’s time in Scotland could be coming to an end. He’s the only one of four Japanese signings from last season not to make an impact and it could be best for all parties to accept that the move just hasn’t worked out.
That leaves us with the current rumours and the possibility and probability concerning two current Celtic stars. Let’s look at at next.
Josip Juranovic had an interview on Celtic TV yesterday, presumably recorded on Wednesday ahead of the Hibs game at Easter Road and he was understandably buzzing about his experience at the World Cup with the bronze medal from Qatar around his neck as he spoke to Gerry McCulloch. There was nothing on the transfer speculation or indeed on Celtic’s forthcoming fixtures that would give any encouragement that his focus had returned to Scottish football. That’s the probable exit, provided Celtic’s transfer valuation is met.
Then there’s Giorgos Giakoumakis whose agent has gone quiet after an irritatingly noisy spell in the papers but there remains an unhappy look about the Greek striker – whose contract extension talks have reportedly stalled but who has several years remaining on his current deal.
Ange Postecoglou is unlikely to suffer player petulance and Giakoumakis’ case for more minutes is hardly improving as Kyogo’s form and goalscoring picks up post-World Cup. The place to do something about getting a start at Celtic is on the training ground at Lennoxtown, nothing else is going to influence Postecoglou and unless his agent gets a deal arranged that meets Celtic’s valuation Giakoumakis is going nowhere. That’s the possible January sale as it’s maybe unrealistic that Celtic’s door is going to be battered down by clubs looking to pay the money Celtic want for the Greek striker.
That just leaves us with the four current rumours, that have emerged recently. There is a real focus on the South Korean market as Celtic have three reported targets from this new market with the only European player being mentioned is Danish striker Casper Tengstedt who played for our old Norwegian rivals Rosenborg.
Casper Tengstedt is a 22 year-old striker who has scored 30 domestic goals in 2022 and is attracting plenty of interested with Celtic just one of several clubs linked with him. Half those goals came for Rosenborg who will be looking for around £3m for the player according to reports.
It would be rather strange if Celtic’s new-found focus on Korean football proves to be futile with no deals being concluded. That’s a possibility of course but it is perhaps worth noting that Celtic might be looking at bringing in multiple signing from this market which will of course help in the settling in process and split the costs of employing another full-time translator to join the Japanese translator already employed by Celtic.
Oh Hyeon-gyu is the latest name being linked with a move to Celtic, which looks like speculation just for the sake of it. He’s a 21 year-old with 11 goals from 32 starts in the K-League but there’s little to suggest that this isn’t just an agent fuelled rumour as he looks to get his client a move to European football and Celtic are a hot target given the surrounding stories relating to Korean players.
Suwon Samsung striker Oh Hyeon-gyu has received an offer from Celtic. (Joongang Ilbo) #kleague
— Korea Football News (@KORFootballNews) December 30, 2022
This story comes a day after Hyeok-kyu Kwon, a 21 year-old defensive midfielder was linked with Celtic with reports from Korea saying that Celtic have had bids rejected from the second division side Busan IPark for the player. Slightly more credence can be given to this one but it remains an outside bet of the player joining Celtic based on all the ‘information’ that is currently available to Celtic supporters.
That just leaves Cho Gue-sung, Korea’s World Cup striker who is expected to be available for around £2.2m. He’s a real star in his homeland, even starring on the front cover of their edition of Vogue Magazine and he’s big hit as a celebrity with an appearance on a reality TV show and over 3m followers on Instagram. That points to a market that Celtic can look to exploit commercially as has happened in Japan.
Celtic face competition from Rennes and Fenerbahce after Borussia Dortmund and Ferencvaros both dropped out of the race for his signature, if indeed they were ever in it in the first place.
If Celtic aren’t successful then they could look to bring in possible back-up target Casper Tengstedt from Rosenborg.
Hope this helps.
