With news the Daizen Maeda transfer is looking a done deal, it also appears Celtic are closing in on another Japanese target. This one may be a little less glamorous but could be no less vital than the signing of Maeda.
Central midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi is an interesting target for Celtic. With a previous attempt at breaking British football being far from a success, it will be seen as a gamble by many observers, and it would be a fair assumption to jump to that conclusion, yet I don’t think on this occasion that will be the case.
Now 25 and back playing in Japan, Ideguchi will have his detractors. They will point to a failed move to Leeds United and claim this is a player who failed to settle outside of Japan previously and as such will likely fail again.
There is of course a chance that could happen, however there is clear mitigation surrounding Ideguchi’s move to Leeds faltering, and much of that was down to how his move was managed by his club rather than the player himself. As such, I think there are reasons why this time around there would be far less of gamble being taken by Ange Postecoglou and Celtic. Instead, if we manage the move well, there is every chance Celtic are signing a gem of a player.
Ideguchi signed for Leeds for £500,000 having just turned 21 from Japanese side Gamba Osaka, the same side Celtic are looking to sign him from now. At the time he was the hot property as the J-League’s Rookie of the Year in 2016 and was just starting to establish himself in the Japan national team.
Upon signing, Ideguchi was immediately moved on loan to Cultural Leonesa, a lower league Spanish side in Leon, Northern Spain. This was due to an ill-fated strategic partnership between Leeds and Cultural Leonesa with the Spaniard’s often described at the time as the Yorkshire club’s ‘sister’ team. It was an arrangement that never worked out.
Ideguchi found himself moving to a club playing a different style of football and to a country where he didn’t speak the language. It made little sense to ask a young player who despite an exciting reputation had little real football experience, and who required initial time to bed into English language, culture and footballing philosophy to be afforded to him. To be asked to move to Spain so soon after a fanfare of an unveiling was a decision both sides of that deal will surely regret.
Instead, a move to another English club may have made more sense for Ideguchi, if not even some time offered time to settle alongside his new teammates. But it should be said the Leeds United of today and the organisation exhibited at the club is a far cry from the time Ideguchi arrived at Elland Road. The player suffered from being lost in a club without genuine direction, in a state of flux, and at an age where support to settle would have been as vital as anything offered from a footballing perspective. Ideguchi received neither.
After that spell in Spain Ideguchi was on his travels again, this time to German strugglers Greuther Furth. Here his luck continued on a downward trajectory. He suffered injury and had little opportunity to shine, making only seven appearances and scoring one goal. The injury also led to Japan’s brightest star becoming almost altogether forgotten, as he missed out on a place in the 2018 World Cup squad. From Rookie of the Year and breakthrough national star, Ideguchi was now low on confidence, injured and on his way back to Japan.
Gamba Osaka took their protégé back under their wing as Ideguchi returned to his former club and replaced Yasuyuki Konno a 92 capped legend of the Japanese game. He immediately took Konno’s place in central midfield and set about rebuilding his confidence and reputation.
After a grand total of 15 appearances, all on loan and not a single competitive game for Leeds United, Ideguchi has got back to playing regularly with 80 appearances in domestic competitions and a further six in the AFC Champions League. He has 15 Japan caps and has grabbed two goals and if there was a time to try and break European football again the time is now.
Part of the reason for Ideguchi’s reputation when moving first time around was not only the Rookie of the year award, it was a stunning goal for Japan against Australia that saw Japan qualify for the World Cup. As such the reputation for the spectacular followed the player when instead his key attributes as a player couldn’t be more different.
Ideguchi is a defensively minded central midfielder, he can and does play as a number eight, but I’d see his best qualities in a number six role, as a deep lying playmaker, though in truth he is equally adept in both roles. He is a short passer of the ball rather than one who plays the Hollywood long diagonal and he is a player who likes to do the dirty work for the team. Something often unvalued but vital to any club.
At 5ft 7 Ideguchi is far from the tallest and he isn’t the type to win aerial duels. What he does do is quietly and effectively start attacks and break up transitions. His reading of the game is exemplary and although tenacious in the tackle when needed, his positional sense means he is more likely to intercept, or steal the ball from the toe of an opponent than emerge from a crunching tackle and take the adulation of the crowd.
In terms of physical attributes Ideguchi is a strong, naturally fit player, has stamina in spades and has good agility – ideal attributes for the Postecoglou philosophy. He possibly lacks for strength, being quite slight in build, but has a decent burst of acceleration and has acceptable but far from spectacular overall pace. However, his short passing, but not so much long passing, and shooting from distance are hallmarks of his game.
Possibly Ideguchi’s most obvious strengths are his clear vision on the pitch, the fact he is a committed team player and has good level of composure, particularly when pressured on the ball, he is an ideal sort to press the opposition, recover possession and start attacks.
Ideguchi also offers no little bravery in and out of possession, his work rate is highly impressive, and he is an aggressive player to boot, but not reckless and his card count in Japanese football is low. His obvious weaknesses from a defensive perspective comes off the ball, where he occasionally switches off, and his lack height allied to a lack of a real leap on the player, means heading and timing of challenges in the air is also an area of the game in which he could improve.
The difference this time around for Ideguchi, should he join Celtic is he is no rookie. The club signing him have a plan for him, he will suit the philosophy of the team and Postecoglou knows his attributes as well as his weaknesses. He will be joining a close-knit squad and he’ll have Kyogo Furuhashi as someone he can communicate with as well as the likely signing of Daizen Maeda too. He will also know he is wanted.
Separating this from Maeda thread:
Hochi reporting that Gamba Osaka aiming to sign Shonan Bellmare MF Mitsuki Saito (currently on loan to Rubin Kazan), describing him as a replacement for "Celtic-bound Yosuke Ideguchi."
Strong language but early yet.https://t.co/w2IGVhAyYX
— x Dan Orlowitz (@aishiterutokyo) December 29, 2021
The player himself will also be more mature for his experiences, chastening as they will have been. He has rebuilt his confidence, but to rebuild his reputation and truly get back to fulfilling his potential, it is likely making a success of his career outside of Japan is the way to complete the recovery. As such Ideguchi will have a point to prove to himself and to those who may have dismissed him.
Celtic will be getting a hungry player in Yosuke Ideguchi, and one who will be looking to grab an opportunity to show he was written off far too early. At 25 Celtic could well be about to sign a really talented footballer and one heading into his peak years, a real team player and one who could be a vital cog in Celtic’s midfield.
It will be seen as a gamble to sign Ideguchi, given his previous experiences of British football. But for me it’s a gamble both sides of this transfer deal should embrace.
This is a superbly talented footballer in his position. And Celtic, under Postecoglou could be the ideal place for the player to address some unfair and unwarranted judgement calls on his career so far, and that will be entirely to the benefit of Celtic.
Niall J
