At Celtic, Ange Postecoglou uncovered a notable amount of gems in the transfer market. The Hoops have the Aussie to thank for players such as Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi, and Reo Hatate.
There were several other talents Postecoglou helped bring through the door and nurture, but there were many he wanted yet didn’t get the chance to work with.
It is known that Brighton man Karou Mitoma was a target of the now-Spurs boss, and it has been confirmed he was eager to sign another Japanese star – Ko Itakura.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Ange wanted to sign the centre-half – who is now a target of Liverpool and Spurs – for Celtic when he was at the club. Instead, Itakura joined Schalke on loan from Man City in 2021 before signing permanently for Borussia Monchengladbach a year later.
Itakura is undoubtedly a noteworthy talent, his links to two big Premier League sides putting testament to this. He is someone who would have undoubtedly bolstered the defensive ranks at Celtic, but Postecoglou cannot complain about the defenders he had available to him in Glasgow.
Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt were a formidable partnership who never lost a league game when starting together. Their form was a considerable part of Postecoglou’s vast success as Celtic boss, but one can’t help but imagine how things would have gone had the 58-year-old got his man Itakura.
