Celtic Eyeing Highly-Rated Left-Back to Replace Greg Taylor

Celtic have completed their 2024-2025 campaign with another league title, and now, heading into next season, they want to compete at an even higher level against the best of the best in Europe.

After a showing against Bayern Munich in which they were able to hang strong and compete with the German giants, they will likely want to focus on how they can beat those types of teams rather than stick with them.

The question then becomes, how does a team in the SPFL work its way to the top? The focus will need to be on young talent with high upside that Celtic can focus on developing in the coming months ahead of the season, and it seems as though that is what they are targeting currently, with many of their rumoured options being under 25.

Adding young talent not only has the benefit of a lower transfer cost, but also the prospect of developing the player according to the team's needs, and giving them an opportunity to grow with the club. This has been how the large majority of talent has been made for the Hoops, aside from the occasional transfer addition who is already solidified.

Which Japanese Left-Back is Celtic Pursuing This Summer?

One of the newest targets for the Hoops is Japanese left-back Keita Kosugi of Djurgaarden, as was reported by Sponichi Soccer.

This would be an extremely intriguing move for the Scottish side, as at 5-foot-6, Kosugi is not exactly the largest defender out there, yet he is a pretty prolific player who has shown positive traits all across the pitch.

According to fbref, he ranks 97th percentile among defenders in non-penalty goals (0.18 per 90), 99th percentile in blocks (2.01 per 90), 92nd percentile in clearances (4.19 per 90), and 73rd percentile in pass completion percentage (79.6%).

These are the types of players a club wants to take a chance on, with lots of tangible abilities that could help the team right off the bat, but also room to develop as a player, which they can facilitate. Transfermarkt currently has his value set at €2 million, which is seemingly a fair price for the Japanese defender who will likely look for an opportunity to compete against even stronger competition this coming season.

Adding Kosugi would be a huge net positive for Celtic, both in the short term and long term, as learning from Kieran Tierney is a great opportunity, from one left-back to another.