The barrier Hayato Inamura can break down at Celtic

Hayato Inamura will shortly become our fourth summer signing and it’s fair to say his arrival hasn’t been greeted with too much enthusiasm by the Celtic supporters.

To be fair we don’t know much about the player, but a quick look at his highlight reel on YouTube suggests he’s a ball playing centre back. Yes, I know YouTube can make anyone look good, but it’s the only way we can make an initial judgement on his style of play and remember Celtic will certainly have far more detailed material to work on and have been suitably impressed to make Hayato a priority target for this summer transfer window.

Celtic scouts will of course have watched Inamura extensively

Celtic scouts will of course have watched Inamura extensively and must have obviously been impressed by the 23 years old’s performances for a side who currently sit in the bottom half of the J league table.

So Inamura is a left sided centre back who loves to pick a pass from any range and can score a goal. He also looks quick and strong in the tackle, so he seems like a player who would fit right into Brendan’s footballing philosophy.

The only down side in his highlight reel is that you don’t see much of his ability in the air. It’s also claimed that Inamura can play left back, but again most of the clips showed him in a more central defensive area, but he does indeed have all the attributes to cover in that area.

Where Brendan Rodgers sees Inamura in his side remains to be seen

Where Brendan Rodgers sees Inamura in his side remains to be seen, time will tell. As we mentioned yesterday Celtic has had great success with Japanese signings playing in midfield or attack but not so far in defence, so Inamura can break that barrier down. The Celtic support will of course give him every encouragement and we look forward to seeing him in the Hoops in the season ahead.