ANGE POSTECGOLU revealed he wanted to sign new Celtic bhoy Tomoki Iwata LAST YEAR, but out of respect for his former club, he didn’t want to raid them twice after bringing in Daizen Maeda.
The Hoops manager has been utilising his in-depth knowledge of the J-League since he became Celtic manager and has made some outstanding signings from the league. As we head into 2023, two new J-League stars will be in the Celtic team. Iwata and Kobayashi will both make their Celtic bows in 2023.
Ange’s respect for his former club paid off for Yokohama in a big way. Iwata stayed in Japan and became player of the year, helping the club win another famous title.
He told Sky Sports: “Really pleased to get him [Iwata] in. He is somebody I know very well and I actually brought him to Yokohama. To be fair he was probably one of the ones I wanted to bring in last year, but we had already taken Daizen Maeda and being my old club I had a respect more than anything else that I didn’t want to go there again.
“But he made the decision he was going to leave this year. He is a really good footballer and can play a couple of different positions for us. Really hard worker at training and someone who will add quality not just to the starting XI but to the squad.”
Iwata won’t be up to speed quick enough to play in the Glasgow Derby but the manager is clear he won’t be far away.
It’s another exciting signing for Celtic as they hit a busy fixture schedule across three competitions. The Hoops have league duty, the League Cup semi-final at Hampden and the Scottish Cup to navigate.
We will need our whole squad and all new additions will come into the fray to freshen up the side and give us more energy as we head towards the pivotal part of the season.
