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4th summer signing
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Celtic are set to make their first major transfer of the summer transfer window, with the imminent arrival of Albirex Niigata defender Hayato Inamura. According to the J.League club, the 23-year-old talent has already completed a “transfer to an overseas club”, with the Scottish Premiership club set to announce his move to Glasgow imminently. Following the free transfers of Ross Doohan, Callum Osmand and Kieran Tierney, the Japanese talent will be the first signing involving a transfer fee Celtic have made this summer. So who is the young defender and is he good enough to help Brendan Rodgers’ side to more domestic success next season?
Who is Hayato Inamura?
Having only made his senior debut for Albirex Niigata last year, not a huge amount is known about Celtic’s new signing. Indeed, Inamura has a market value of €300k and has only made 28 senior league appearances in his career. But that doesn’t mean that Inamura is an unknown quantity. Instead, the new Celtic signing has had an intriguing career to date, which has only just led him to senior football in Japan in recent years. “He was still a university student when he suddenly became one of the most promising centre backs in the J.League to watch last season,” said Transfermarkt J.League data scout and expert on Japanese football, Yuta Izawa.
“Two years ago, at the age of 21 and in his third year at Toyo University, Inamura was announced as a designated special player for the J.League and confirmed to join Albirex Niigata for the 2025 season. However, he did not make any appearances that season, but the 2024 season became a breakthrough year for him. He made his J.League debut in Matchday 10 against FC Tokyo and went on to play in 12 league matches. In the Levain Cup (the domestic cup competition), he played in seven matches and played a key role in helping his team finish as runners-up. This year, he also contributed to Toyo University winning the All Japan University Championship and having officially joined Albirex Niigata, he has already made 16 appearances and scored his first professional goal in June, despite the team struggling in the lower part of the table.”
That, unsurprisingly, quickly led to interest from bigger clubs in Europe like Celtic. The Glasgow club clearly have a knack for signing players direct from Japan or scouting Japanese players already playing in European leagues. Whether it be Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi or even Shunsuke Nakamura, Celtic always seem to have a keen eye for players from Japan. So could Inamura be another impressive signing from Japan, ready to take on Scottish football with relative ease?
How good is Hayato Inamura?
“His strengths lie in his one-on-one defending and speed, which are already effective at the J.League level, as well as his fantastic vision for passes and technical ability on the ball,” noted Izawa, when asked about the defender’s main attributes. “As a left-footed centre-back, he can deliver precise vertical passes and long balls like a playmaker. He also has the confidence to join the attack at the right moments.” It remains to be seen whether Inamura will be signed to fit directly into Rodgers’ first team plans, or loaned out to another club to gain first team experience in European football. But he definitely makes the move to Celtic with a glowing report card.
Such a description will be music to the ears of Celtic fans, whose side will not only welcome new additions at centre back but also players that can build attacks and pull the strings from the base of defence. Due to Celtic’s dominance of the league, their central defenders often have to play as playmakers as much as defenders. And Inamura could potentially tick all the correct boxes in that regard. “It remains to be seen whether his physicality and accurate passing will hold up in Scotland,” added Izawa. “While his experience in the J.League is still limited, it will be interesting to see how his strengths can shine under manager Rodgers.”
