Celtic make tidy profit on Hayato Inamura, but it also raises questions over our Japanese recruitment…
Despite no signs of any movement on the transfer market in regard to incomings, it’s been busy on the outgoings with the departure of Luis Palma, and now today it was revealed that forgotten man Hayato Inamura will join FC Tokyo on a permanent deal for a fee believed to be €1.5 million.
The left back signed for Celtic last summer from J1 League side Albirex Niigata for a fee believed to be £300,000, becoming the latest in a long line of Japanese players to join the club, and despite only featuring in one competitive game, the club have banked a significant profit on the player.
The cultured left back looked calm and composed in the few times he appeared in the hoops, and despite being sent out on loan, there were high hopes he could return and make an impact on the Celtic squad, but unfortunately that’s now doomed to failure.
Inamura has clearly impressed at FC Tokyo in his short spell on loan, so much so that they’ve invested over €1 million in luring him back to his homeland.
It also raises some questions over our usually reliable recruitment strategy in the far east, after yet another J league players inability to make an impression at the club, with compatriot Shin Yamada also failing to impress after signing last summer.
We’ve been fortunate to have uncovered gems such as Kyogo, Reo Hatate, and Daizen Maeda these past few years, mainly due to the knowledge of Ange Postecoglou, so maybe it’s time we started looking into another market.
What’s certain is that we need to concentrate on bringing in new faces, and quick. With the Palma and Inamura fees we’ve banked just over £4 million in the last few days, it’s time to reinvest that cash on new arrivals.
Hayato Inamura is set to join FC Tokyo permanently from Celtic for a deal worth around €1.5M.
The 24-year-old joined Celtic last July from Niigata for an estimated €300K and only managed to feature in one match 😮
Incredible business by Celtic 👏 pic.twitter.com/TbfV7qZSak
— J. Football Now (@j_football_now) June 6, 2026
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
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1 Comment
The Japanese market that we shopped in was mainly due to Anges knowledge of the country’s football scene,apart from Nakamura 20 years ago ,who was already in Europe at the time,playing in Italy.I think the focus might now switch to South and Central America,a vast area,football mad and choc full of technically decent footballers.