A lot of Celtic fans would be hoping for the club to mark this Christmas by signing another player. And interestingly, the club have been linked with a move for Yokohama F. Marinos defensive midfielder, Tomoki Iwata, recently. Let’s see if it ends up happening or not, although all the hints and rumours seem to be pointing towards only one direction.
Celtic fans have gotten used to the club signing players from the J1 League since the arrival of Ange Postecoglou as manager. Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate have proven to be brilliant acquisitions. Daizen Maeda has played his role well too. It remains to be seen what Yuki Kobayashi does when he is eligible to play from January. And the only move that has not worked out is the one for Yosuke Ideguchi.
Defensive midfield remains a position of need for Celtic and in that regard, Iwata holds a lot of potential. He played a big role in Yokohama F. Marinos’ title-winning campaign and was the J League MVP for his efforts.
Dan Orlowitz put out an interesting tweet regarding the matter recently:
I am confident enough to tweet that Celtic fans shouldn't worry about finding coal in their stockings 🎄🎁
— Dan Orlowitz (@aishiterutokyo) December 25, 2022
(Though I can't make any guarantees as to when the delivery truck will arrive) https://t.co/Gcc9S025HH
Reliable journalist drops sensational Celtic transfer tease amid Iwata rumours
Someone like Iwata could prove to be a solid addition to this Celtic side, considering the form that he has been in in recent times.
On top of everything else, Postecoglou has already managed him, during his time as the manager of Yokohama F. Marinos. Thus, he will know exactly what he brings to the plate.
The defensive midfield position is one that Celtic have been trying to fill since the departure of Nir Bitton at the end of last season. But the loan signing of Oliver Abildgaard has not worked out till now and it is more than likely that he will be headed back to Rubin Kazan in the near future.