What to expect from Celtic’s latest J1 League signings
The Ange Postecoglou revolution is well underway at Parkhead. Celtic last suffered defeat in the Scottish Premiership in September – a run stretching 15 matches. They have conceded the fewest number of goals (12) and are joint-top with Rangers for goals scored (44).
Integral to this form this term has been Kyogo Furuhashi.
The 27-year-old joined from Vissel Kobe in the summer in a deal believed to be worth £5million and to say he’s had an immediate impact would be something of an understatement.
The Celtic No.8 justified his manager’s decision to bring him to Scotland from the J1 League.
So far in the league this term, Kyogo has averaged 0.72 goals per 90. He also chipped in with goals against Ferencváros and two assists against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League. The Japan international was the match-winner in the Scottish League Cup, netting twice as the Bhoys overturned a 1-0 deficit to claim the first trophy of the Postecoglou era.
Kyogo was destined to be a hit at Paradise.
He was a reliable goal threat in 2021 for Vissel Kobe. Now, there was a significant overperformance when comparing goals to expected goals and this is usually a bit of a red flag, but even if he reverted to the mean, he was still a chance-getter (averaging close to four shots per 90) and these players usually come at a premium.
Kyogo added value to his efforts with his placement in the J1 League and this has continued in Scotland, per the post-shot expected goal averages in the graphic above.
Having seen how seamlessly the versatile forward fitted into life in Scotland, it is no surprise that the club returned to Japan this January to raid even more clubs.
Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi all made the move to Celtic, with the former joining initially on loan, though the deal does mean he is making the switch a permanent one at the end of the campaign.
Maeda reunites with Postecoglou.
The Australian tactician was in charge of Yokahama F. Marinos when the 24-year-old was signed in 2020 and it was under Postecoglou that Maeda enjoyed the most prolific spell of his career.
The new No.38 got off to the best possible start at Parkhead, scoring on his debut in the win over Hibernian.
As you can see from his shot map, he is a master poacher and if Postecoglou’s men are able to carve out openings for him on a regular basis, he is going to be amongst the goals. His ability to find opportunities, space and time within the six-yard box is unnerving and makes him a genuine game-changer for the Bhoys.
In fact, in Maeda and Kyogo, Celtic now have within their possession two of the top five players for expected goals per 90 in the J1 League across 2020 and 2021.
The forward wasn’t the only one to make a big impression on his debut. Hatate put in an eye-catching performance that Frank McAvennie claimed was the best he has ever seen.
“Hatate, the boy in midfield, was immense. For a debut, that must be up there as one of the best I have ever seen. His tackling was incredible and you could tell he knew where the ball was going to be before it was there. He never stopped chasing and, for me, he walks into that midfield now.”
The 24-year-old was named Man-of-the-Match and was given a standing ovation when subbed off after 70 minutes.
In Hatate, Celtic have a gem on their hands.
For previous club Kawasaki Frontale, he played practically everywhere. He was deployed as a full-back on both flanks, as a winger and as a central midfielder. Postecoglou used him on the left of a midfield three on his debut and you can see why that might be his position for the Bhoys moving forward.
Hatate is confident in possession, progressive on the ball and creative from the middle third. He is press resistant and can comfortably beat an opponent or two with a burst from a standing start. The versatile midfielder is also a goal threat. He is the definition of an all-rounder and someone who could single-handedly dominate games for the Bhoys once fully acclimatised to the league.
He is much more of a volume player whereas Ideguchi is someone who does a lot of off the ball work.
The 25-year-old controls space. He knows where to position himself and when. More importantly, however, might be the fact he seems to have a knack for being the free man for a team-mate. If they are under pressure, he pops up and his team are able to retain the ball. That ability is underrated but vital to a possession-based team.
He could be the counterweight in midfield for Celtic. The one that allows the likes of Hatate and McGregor to influence things further forward.
These are shrewd buys who could go on to cement themselves as pillars of the Postecoglou XI as the Bhoys look to reclaim the Scottish Premiership title and have an impact in Europe.
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