Celtic have enjoyed quite the track record when it comes to discovering new talents from around the world in the transfer market, especially since the appointment of Ange Postecoglou in 2021. Some of the names that crop up immediately are Jota, Kyogo Furuhashi, Matt O’Riley, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Josip Juranovic, Reo Hatate, Liel Abada and there are several others.
Of course, there have been some moves which have not worked out as well, but ultimately, the success rate is quite remarkable to say the least. And it looks like Celtic will continue to strengthen their squad.
The latest name who looks set to be headed to Parkhead is Yuki Kobayashi. As reported by Sponichi, according to multiple sources, an agreement has been reached between Celtic and Vissel Kobe over the transfer.
Kobayashi has spent his career playing in Japan till now and naturally, not a lot is known about him in Europe. Dan Orlowitz has given us a bit of a look into the Japanese defender. As reported by CeltsAreHere, the journalist said:
"“With the J-League closing this weekend, I would imagine things will happen quickly and he will have his medical and then start to get integrated ahead of the January window.“I reckon he could cost between 1.5 and 2 million Euros – somewhere in that area.“He potentially brings a lot of what Ange Postecoglou is looking for in terms of contributing to the build-up. He is not necessarily a shot-taker, but he can force turnovers, set up passes and move the ball forward.“He’s got very good tactical awareness. He’s not the kind of player who will rush into a tackle.“But he’s still young and prone to mistakes and we saw that on Saturday when he gave away a penalty against Kawasaki Frontale.“That’s nothing that good coaching and guidance can’t fix and I think in terms of young prospects, players we expect to make an impact going forward for the national team he is certainly up there.“So this is a very astute bit of scouting by Celtic if this goes through and it looks like it will.”"
Celtic could be set to sign the defender in a bargain transfer
Thus, Orlowitz had a lot of positive things to say about Kobayashi although it is clear that he is not the finished article yet. At 22 years of age though, he is quite young for a centre-back and is expected to improve his game further, as he gains more experience.
Kobayashi does have a lot of great attributes though, which could fit well into Postecoglou’s style of football.
He is very comfortable with the ball at his feet, can carry it out of defence and find a pass as well. He is also a very good reader of the game, especially for someone his age. Kobayashi has been aerially dominant in the J1 League as well, but it will be interesting to see if that transfers to the much more physical Scottish Premiership.