2021- K.Furuhashi | 2022- R.Hatate | T. Iwata 2023 | D.Maeda | 2023- Y.Kobayashi @ Celtic F.C. (SCO)

Our main right winger Forrest is struggling to fully recover from an injury. Maeda has played on the right side, yes?

 

Maedas goal rate speak for himself. He will be a 100% starter, at least at the beginning, the rest depends on him.

Celtic Glasgow hails him already as the new Kyogo, they buy him of course as a starter.

But starter or not depends on him.

 

Is it even a done deal?

 

Not for now but it seems very close.

 

3️⃣ 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 ✨

Welcome our new #JapaneseBhoys! 🇯🇵🍀🤝

— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) December 31, 2021

It is official. I see why McGregor, our captain, took it upon himself to learn Japanese.

 

Official:

3️⃣ 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 ✨

Welcome our new #JapaneseBhoys! 🇯🇵🍀🤝

— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) December 31, 2021

Japan has now 6 players in Britain, if Mitoma will join Brighton's squad this winter, and if Ogashiwa's transfer to Hearts go ahead (even though it is unlikely), we will end up having 8 Japanese players in Britain at the same time.

 

Hopefully all three of them would have the same impact at Celtic as Furuhashi had.

 

I doubt it. But we can hope.
I guess expectations is high now

 

I'm looking forward to seeing the new Japanese signings at Celtic. I've only really watched Maeda at Yokohama under Postecoglou and Muscat.

 

Hatate is the real bargain here.

 

As someone who lives in Scotland and has followed Japanese football for a long time, this is like a dream come true!!

Cannot wait to see Hatate, he's my kind of footballer.

 

TEAM JAPAN MkII?

 

Hatate's fee is as much as Maeda's.

Both of Hatate and Ideguchi's contract are 4.5 years contract, up to June 2025.

 

I hope they will not shelter themselves in a sort of japanese ghetto into the locker room ala Latin American footballers.
They need to learn the language ASAP to start.

 

Yeah, this happened with the French players Celtic had over the last few years, turned into arguments and fights.

Different cultures though, it will certainly be interesting to see how the team dynamic changes, but Ange is such a good man manager, I'm sure he'll get the best out of them.

They've also just signed Riley Mcgree, an Australian player, Celtic really are repping that side of the world!

 

And Maeda just scored. What a dream start for him!
https://streamja.com/1O57r

 

Hatate was awarded Man of the Match. Ideguchi was tidy, and did his spoiling task quietly, but efficiently.

 

What a fantastic debut, Maeda gets his first goal and Hatate man of the match.

Hatate already getting huge praise from the Celtic fans and media, the general consensus seems to be along the lines of '' what a player''

One Scottish pundit even compared him to Iniesta!! That's maybe a bit far, but that's the excitement levels he has brought from his performance tonight, Maeda of course hugely impressed as well, his pace and pressing was something else.

What a debut, I think Scottish media are quite taken aback by the level of these players from the J-league, and at the value they've got them for.

Gonna be an exciting season ahead, Kyogo and Maeda together will be frightening.

 

Now if a certain someone knew how to utilize such talents...

 

I think that the Scottish/Irish fans of Celtic would accept a renaming of the club to Glasgow Sakura FC. That's how overjoyed they are with the positive attitude and impact of Japanese players. The only thing missing is a set piece taker, or at least a coach. Nakamura hasn't hanged his boots up.

 

I can list a certain number of JNT fws of the present and the past that would have miss it.
Maybe Maeda D. is the Inzaghiesque bird of prey samurai blue were looking for till ages.