Celtic go down Postecoglou route with SHOCK transfer

Celtic are ready to take a leaf out of Ange Postecoglou’s playbook when they dip into the transfer market this summer.

Postecoglou made a big impression when he first arrived in Glasgow by making signings from the J-League, and current Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers is poised to follow a similar route, with The Herald reporting interest in Hayato Inamura of Albirex Niigata.

Celtic have already had much success recruiting from Japan, with Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi all shining for the Parkhead club in recent seasons. ‘Big Ange’ was the mastermind behind these deals.

Inamura, who is 23 years old, can offer a starting solution in the middle of the defence or a potential backup option to Kieran Tierney at left-back, as Greg Taylor looks increasingly likely to leave.

With an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of just €545k, he is seen as a cost-effective signing and a player who could have considerable sell-on value in the future.

The J-League’s best centre-back

Inamura’s talent is underlined by the fact that over the course of the current season, he has the outstanding centre-back in the J-League, according to data analytics experts SciSports.

In particular, he is seen as a player who is technically capable and is excellent with the ball, particularly with regard to his passing.

Defensively, he has not shown any glaring weaknesses and ranks second among centre-backs in terms of set-piece disruption.

Inamura vs J-League centre-backs: Overall Performance (2025)

He is also an athlete. SciSports rates him highly both in terms of his stamina and his pace, suggesting that he can transition smoothly to the demands that Celtic might place upon him.

Despite this, there is a suggestion that he could be shipped out on loan during his first season to help him settle.

Celtic, meanwhile, are close to completing a deal worth around €2.5 million for exciting Nordsjaelland attacker Benjamin Nygren, who is another player who looks an excellent fit for Brendan Rodgers’ side.

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