Celtic now “in talks” to sign the next Hatate

Celtic are set for a very busy summer in the transfer market.

Kieran Tierney is back, re-joining the club six years after leaving, and supporters cannot wait to see one of their favourite players back in green and white hoops again.

Now, could Brendan Rodgers be about to add further defensive reinforcements?

Celtic targeting a new defender

The Hoops are very active in the market at the moment with a move for Swedish star, Benjamin Nygren, all but confirmed.

So, who’s the Hoops’ next target?

Well, according to a report by Anthony Joseph of Sky Sports, Celtic “are in talks” with J League club Albirex Niigata over the possibility of signing Hayato Inamura.

He describes the 23-year-old as a “left-footed centre-back” who is also capable of playing at left-back.

Inamure came through Japan’s college system, representing Maebashi Ikuei High School and then Toyo University, before joining Albirex Niigata a year ago, making 33 appearances to date for the side currently in the J League relegation zone.

So, could he become the latest Japanese player to call Parkhead home?

How Inamura could replicate Celtic’s Japanese heroes

As the table below outlines, Celtic have a rich tradition when it comes to Japanese players, many of whom have enjoyed massive success.

Of course, the vast majority of the Japanese players Celtic have had were signed by Ange Postecoglou, but this tradition goes back to Shunsuke Nakamura in the mid-2000s, who certainly made a huge impact, described by Tom Hancock of Four Four Two Magazine as one of the best free-kick takers of all time.

In the more modern era, few Celtic players of any nationality have been as impressive as Reo Hatate, making 142 appearances in hoops to date, scoring 27 goals and providing 28 assists, winning eight major trophies.

Manager Rodgers described the midfielder as “top class”, adding that he has been “absolutely brilliant” since the boss re-joined the club in 2023.

Meantime, Martin Crawford of Breaking the Lines labelled him the ‘best player in Scotland’, describing Hatate as a ‘complete, elegant talent’.

Signed for just £1.4m, these performances have seen the midfielder’s valuation skyrocket, with Transfermarkt estimating he is worth around £10m, hence why the Celts’ actually rejecting a £10m bid for Hatate from a Ligue 1 club last summer, according to The National.

While no fee is currently known for Inamura, the club would surely hope he could make a similar impact in Glasgow, which would result in a similar exponential increase in value.

Analyst and scout Will Glavin describes Inamura as “tactically intelligent…composed and comfortable building from the back”, praising his defensive discipline and “positional awareness”, concluding that this deal is a “smart, low-risk investment”. That’s certainly true of the deal to bring Hatate to the club all those years ago under Postecoglou. It was low-risk and he’ll undoubtedly pay the club back when he leaves.

Stephen McGowan of the Herald outlines how he will provide competition for Auston Trusty and Liam Scales, seeking to start as the left-sided centre-half, while also able to cover at left-back when Tierney requires a breather.

So, this once again appears to be a sensible signing from Celtic and, even though Inamura is very inexperienced, this does not mean he cannot be the club’s latest Japanese superstar.

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