Celtic are close to signing Yokohama F Marinos defensive midfielder Tomoki Iwata, according to reports in the Japanese media.
The 25-year-old was signed by Ange Postecoglou when he was still Yokohama manager in the 2021 January transfer window and it looks like he is set to snap up the player for a second time.
It is believed that the Hoops will pay just £820,000 for Iwata, who is the J-League’s reigning Player of the Year and, while some fans on Twitter think it is a bargain, not everyone is convinced he will be a success in Scotland:
That is daylight robbery from us 🤣
— Max (@Max____67) December 25, 2022
Would much rather sign the south Korean striker he would be a starter imo as opposes to this guy who will most likely be a bench warmer
— KUNDALINI369 (@kundalini2020) December 25, 2022
How can the best player in Japan be worth less than a million pounds ?
— john wick (@Stevenkaisloan) December 25, 2022
Don’t understand why the Japanese market is so cheap
— john coyle (@john_coyle1997) December 25, 2022
Mistake to buy too many players from one league
— Gregory Rasputin (@GregRasputin01) December 25, 2022
SIUUUU
— EoinRL 🍋 (@RlEoin) December 25, 2022
For the price Celtic will reportedly be paying to sign Iwata, it seems worth a gamble. Even if the move doesn’t pay off, they will still probably get their money back on their investment.
From the looks of things, Iwata is likely to be replacing another Japanese player. Yosuke Ideguchi is expected to leave Celtic Park next month after a disappointing twelve months with the Scottish champions. With the Hoops having already wrapped up the signings of Yuki Kobayashi and Alistair Johnston, it appears they could have a third January addition already in the bag.