After the acquisition of Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi we managed to have Japan Times sportswriter Dan Orlowitz answer a few questions on each of the three players and what they will bring to Celtic going into the future. Once again thanks to Dan for taking time out to answer the questions as it’s holiday season in Japan just now.
Firstly, we asked Dan what he thinks the three players will add to the current Celtic side and will they be a good fit?
”I’m positive on all three. You’ve got two dead-on national team regulars in the making and a third who has the weapons to get back to that level. A striker who’s very familiar with the kind of football Ange plays, a versatile midfielder who can play just about anywhere on the left side of the pitch and a defensive midfielder who will help fill what I’m told is a thin position at the moment.”
MATCH MAEDA’n HEAVEN? Celtic supporters seem to be incredibly excited at the prospect of forward Daizen Maeda playing alongside Kyogo, we posed the question to Dan where he thinks the 24 year-old will play for Celtic under Ange, whether that be on the left or up front.
“It could go either way, but them playing alongside is a tasty proposition. I think you just have to make sure that they’re not tripping over each other, but I think there will be lots of communication between the two.”
Reo Hatate has gained a massive reputation for being really versatile and having key attributes which will no doubt improve Celtic. Just like Maeda we were intrigued to ask Dan where he thinks Hatate will play for Celtic.
”He’s great at maintaining possession, distributing balls, moving the ball upfield. Hatate is a superb dribbler, great technique. I would expect him as a wingback/left mid, he’s capable of playing as a left back but it’s not his ideal position.”
It is clear that out the three Ideguchi is the one that needs the most development, I asked Dan if we should be patient with Yosuke or should expect instant success.
“So while he was sort of among the more unexpected names that Celtic have gone after, everything I’ve heard in terms of how the team needs to fill in talent at his position indicates that he could be a surprise. His potential ceiling was at one point very high and the Leeds move just wasn’t the right choice in the end. Ange thinks he can get Ideguchi’s mojo back and at this point I think if you trust in Ange you let him try to pull it off.”
Finally, after Kyogo’s absolutely brilliant start at Celtic and Ange’s great affiliation with Japan having managed Yokohama Marinos along with the new three Japanese players we wanted to know what the reaction is in Japan after the transfers.
”Celtic has a lot of recognition and many fans in Japan because of Shunsuke’s time there, and they’ve gotten a lot of that back with how well Ange and Kyogo have done. Kyogo in particular has rocketed to stardom and is arguably Japan’s most popular player in Europe right now.
Orlowitz added, “If these three all play to their potential there’s so much opportunity there in terms of new fans, commercial potential, etc. It’s not a stretch to say Celtic could send at least one if not more Japanese players to the World Cup, and when that happens you get a LOT of eyeballs even despite the time zones”
It’s fair to say there’s a huge amount of excitement surrounding Celtic Park just now with the signings of Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi. Dan’s comments have only further added to the idea that all three have the potential to be top quality players for the Hoops and we are all hoping that they will bring us some great moments in the near future.
Once again we thank Japan’s top sportswriter for taking time out of his holiday to answer our questions, we hope you enjoyed the detailed insight into all three players!
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