“We have to be careful,” Postecoglou insists new recruits must be viewed as individuals

With Celtic having recruited and announced three new signings from the Japanese J-League all on the same day at the beginning of this current transfer window many have been talking about the trio as a collective, and with fellow Japanese player Kyogo having already been at the club since the summer many have been quick to talk about all of them almost in the same breath.

This is something which has annoyed Ange Postecoglou, who was at pains yesterday to stress how all four of his Japanese players are unique and come with their own attributes which attracted him to them in the first place. When suggested that trying to integrate an additional three players with limited English into the pressurised environs of a league title challenge may be difficult, the Australian disagrees.

Our manager maintains these players have what it takes to have a positive impact on his squad and that is the reason he signed them. It just happens to be that, with his extensive knowledge of the J-League and the fact that their season has just recently concluded, Japan was the perfect place for him to pick up top quality players to help maintain a challenge on all fronts during the rest of the season and beyond. As reported by Daily Record, the Celtic manager said:

“We have to be careful about just saying ‘four Japanese players’. These are four individuals who are totally different people. And they’re totally different types of players too.

“It’s a bit lazy for us all to say, I’ve just brought in four Japanese. I’ve brought in four quality players who I think can add to what we’re doing here. They have different personalities and they’ve had different career paths so far. They each will offer something different to the club.

“The reason I went down this road is two fold. One, I have great knowledge of that market in that part of the world because it’s where I’ve worked. And two, it’s ideal for the January market because their season finishes in December.

“I knew this after the summer window and that’s when we started working on it. If we want to get players in the January window, it’s a good part of the world to do business in. But don’t assume we’ve just brought in ‘four Japanese players’. We’ve brought in four top quality players who can all contribute to our club.”

Many in the media and fans alike have assumed that with four players all from the same country who speak the same language now in the dressing room at Celtic Park, the will automatically gravitate towards one another. Postecoglou on the other hand thinks differently, he explains that if they wanted to constantly remain in their comfort zone they would have stayed and continued their playing careers back in Japan.

Ange maintains that the three new players wouldn’t have been excited that a Japanese international like Kyogo was already at Celtic, they were more concerned about coming to Europe and trying to prove they are capable of making a name for themselves on this side of the world. He states the new recruits will be learning from the likes of Celtic captain Callum McGregor and other senior stars as they try to improve and progress their careers. The Celtic manager said:

“Again, you’re assuming they’re all the same. The reality of it is, they’re not going to help each other integrate into the group. Callum and the senior players in the squad understand that. They’re the ones they’ll be interacting with.

“Some came to Europe because they didn’t want to be in the environment they were in. They wanted to get away from that – that is why they’re here. The fact Kyogo was here WASN’T an attraction to them. And having three other players from Japan wasn’t that exciting for Kyogo.

“What’s exciting is that we’re bringing another three quality players into the squad. Kyogo is excited about that. For the players coming in, they’re now at a big club and want to test themselves at the highest level possible. I get it (the doubts) because it can seem like people who come from the same place are all the same.

“But I have run into all kinds of different Scots since I came here. And it’s like that all over the world. You’ve got to get to know these guys. They can speak Japanese but if they were only interested in continuing to speak Japanese, they’d have stayed in Japan. You’d be surprised. Kyogo’s English is coming along well. Daizen’s English is no problem and the other guys are working hard at it.

“That’s the reason they’ve left their shores. They don’t need home comforts and if they did they’d struggle wherever they went. From our perspective, our support comes from not trying to replicate what they had over there. It comes from providing an environment that makes them fulfil their football dreams. That’s why they left their own country to come to a club like this.”

Very insightful words from Ange Postecoglou, with a lot of truth and perspective being laid out for all outsiders looking in to the current set up at Celtic. It’s probably true that many people were speaking about our Japanese contingent as a collective but most Celtic fans have been looking beyond where these new recruits have came from and more at what they will bring to our squad.

19th December 2021; Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland; Scottish League Cup final, Hibernian versus Celtic: Kyogo Furuhashi of Celtic with the trophy

At The Celtic Star we have published many articles which have focused on each player as an individual, looking at what the player will bring to our team and what we can expect from each one of them in the future. Going forward these players will be judged as individuals, some may adjust to playing in Scotland quicker than others but no matter where in the world someone comes from this always differs between certain personalities. Some hit the ground running and others take time to settle in.

One thing is for certain though, all our new recruits will be giving everything to try and grasp this opportunity they have been given with both hands.

Conall McGinty