The J1 League has become Celtic’s destination of choice, when it comes to making transfer additions, following the appointment of Ange Postecoglou as the manager of the club in the summer of 2021. The Hoops have brought in five players from the Japanese top flight already in the form of Kyogo, Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda, Yosuke Ideguchi and Yuki Kobayashi. And it looks like another signing is set to be completed in the very near future.
The player in question is Tomoki Iwata of Yokohama F. Marinos, who won the J League MVP recently for helping guide his team to the league crown. And unsurprisingly, his performances seem to have caught the attention of Celtic.
Defensive midfield is a position where the club could do with some immediate reinforcements in as well. They brought in Oliver Abildgaard on a season-long loan from Rubin Kazan in the summer but that move has not worked out, while veteran Nir Bitton left at the end of last season.
A move for Iwata does not seem to be far away either as it looks like it will be a loan deal with an option to buy included in it. A report from Yahoo Japan goes on to read:
"It is a loan transfer with a full transfer option, and the transfer fee is estimated to be $ 1 million (about 133 million yen). According to officials, he has already obtained a UK work permit and plans to officially sign it after a medical check on site."
Celtic seem to be closing in on a move for Iwata
Iwata is someone that Postecoglou will know everything about, having worked with him during their time together at Yokohama F. Marinos, before the Australian made the move to Celtic. The player has gotten better since then as well. As a result, a move makes sense.
Of course, some fans are worried that Celtic are relying way too much on the J1 League, when it comes to recruiting talent. But the only move that has proven to be a mistake till now is the one for Ideguchi.
And this move would not be anything like the signing of Ideguchi, who was brought in after an average season and solely based on potential. Iwata is on top form and is the J League MVP.