Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma has confirmed that he did reject Celtic to make the switch to the Seagulls.

Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou revealed earlier this month that he tried to snap up the Japanese international at the same time as Kyogo Furuhashi, but Mitoma says he ultimately decided on a move to England:

“I was flattered but I also knew that the Premier League has the highest standard of football in the world. This is why I accepted Brighton’s offer straight away. I did give some time to think about Celtic too, but my desire to play in the strongest league in the world was very high.”

After spending his first season out on loan in Belgium, Mitoma returned to Brighton last summer. Since then, he has been in excellent form, having scored 1o goals and contributed seven assists in 31 appearances.

His performances have attracted the interest of plenty of teams, and he was even linked with a £35m move to Premier League leaders Arsenal back in February.

For Celtic and Postecoglou, it is very much the case of what might have been. Even so, the Scottish champions have certainly not done badly with their other recruits from Japan. The likes of Kyogo, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda have contributed massively to the team’s success since their arrival in Scotland.