Major Celtic transfer breakthrough reported as fee agreed and medical booked

It seems as though Celtic’s first transfer of the season is about to get the go ahead as reports circulate that the Hoops have agrees a fee for Gamba Osaka’s defensive midfielder, Yosuke Ideguchi.

Ideguchi was one of a trio of transfers expected to join the Hoops in the January transfer window and according to a report in The Athletic, the 25 year old Japanese international is set to join the Parkhead club in early January.

Ideguchi plans to return to Europe to prove a point after his first spell overseas ended in disaster at Leeds United.

The English club signed him for just under £1m back in 2017 but the midfielder failed to make the breakthrough into the first team.

As Ideguchi struggled in England he made the return to Japan two years later after a couple of failed loan moves to Germany and Spain.

But, according to journalist Alan Gibson, this should not disappoint the Celtic fans as he explains the reasons why his move to England didn’t work out, “He made the overseas move a little too early for my liking.

“He was like many Japanese who are lured by the dream of Europe or talked into it by over-eager agents.”

“At the time he moved, he would have been perfect for a team like Leeds.

“He wasn’t yet a Premier League player but could have learned a lot.

“But he was loaned out, as is often the case, and then injuries hit, managers changed and he was never able to settle down, through no real fault of his own.”

So it does seem that Celtic are getting a very good player for a very reasonable fee and the Hoops fans will be confident that manager, Ange Postecoglou, can get the best out of the 14 cap international.