Article body analysed
By KEVIN MCKENNA Published: 05: 34 AEST, 5 July 2025 | Updated: 05: 41 AEST, 5 July 2025 1 View comments Celtic have completed the signing of Japanese defender Hayato Inamura on a four-year deal from J1 League side Albirex Niigata. The 23-year-old becomes Brendan Rodgers’ fifth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Kieran Tierney, Ross Doohan, Callum Osmand and Benjamin Nygren. ‘We’re delighted to bring Hayato to Celtic and we’re looking forward to working with him, ’ Rodgers told Celtic TV. ‘He’s a young player full of promise and potential. I know that he’s delighted to be taking this next step in his career by joining us, and we look forward to welcoming him into the squad. ’ Inamura is the latest in a long line of Japanese players to have made the move to Glasgow, following in the footsteps of Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda. But it is set-piece specialist Shunsuke Nakamura — who won three Premiership titles at the club under Gordon Strachan — who holds a special place in the new recruit’s heart. Hayato Inamura has expressed his excitement after completing his move to Celtic The 23-year-old has signed a four-year deal with the defending Scottish champions He has been an ever-present in defence for J1 League side Albirex Niigata this season Confirming he would wear the No 25 jersey previously worn by his hero, Inamura said: ‘Many Japanese players have had success at this club. ‘Across the world, this is a massive club and is really well known. I am truly excited to be joining Celtic. It’s a huge opportunity for me. ‘So far, even the current Japanese players have been performing at a high level, I think that is why there are expectations on Japanese players. 'I really want to live up to those expectations and do my best. ‘The reason why I chose 25 is because out of the options I was given, that one really stood out to me. ‘Then obviously regarding Nakamura, I used to imitate his kicking style when I was a kid. He was one of my favourite players. ’ Inamura had two years remaining on his contract with J1 League side Albirex Niigata, and had been an ever-present throughout the 2024-25 campaign. Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn is close to completing a £16. 5million move to Italian side Como, according to reports. The Parkhead club are poised to make a huge profit on the £3m they paid to sign the German winger from Rapid Vienna 18 months ago. Nicolas Kuhn is on the verge of signing for Serie A outfit Como in a deal worth £16. 5million Maik Nawrocki is set to follow the German out the exit door to join Hannover 96 on loan Kuhn, 25, made a slow start to his Celtic career but impressed last season with 21 goals in 51 appearances. Defender Maik Nawrocki is also set to depart, with reports in Germany stating that the centre-back will join German second-tier side Hannover 96 on loan. The Pole signed a five-year contract at Parkhead after arriving from Legia Warsaw in the summer of 2023 in a deal worth £4. 3m, but he has been unable to displace Cameron Carter-Vickers or Liam Scales at the heart of Rodgers’ backline, making just 18 appearances over two title-winning seasons. And he has now been given the opportunity for a fresh start in Germany, with the loan deal including an option-to-buy clause.
Share what you think
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mail Online.
By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual. Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on Mail Online. To do this we will link your Mail Online account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy. Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group