If you’re not familiar with the standard of the J-League or who plays there it would appear to be a bit of a gamble.
To bring four Japanese players to the Scottish Premiership in the same season might be viewed by some as a leap of faith for Celtic.
But that’s not how gaffer Ange Postecoglou sees it.
The Hoops boss bristles at the thought of signing Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, Yosuke Ideguchi and Reo Hatate just because he knows them from working in the Far East.
When it’s suggested that it might be difficult for non-English speakers to integrate quickly into his Parkhead dressing-room in the midst of a title race, he’s having none of it.
Postecoglou understands the questioning. But this is no “jobs for the boys” scenario.
He’s adamant that, irrespective of where they’ve come from, he has acquired three terrific players in this January transfer window – on top of star striker Kyogo who arrived in July.
He refuses to talk about them as a collective. Because the Aussie says each of his Japanese contingent is unique.
The Celtic manager said: “We have to be careful about just saying ‘four Japanese players’.
“These are four individuals who are totally different people. And they’re totally different types of players too.
“It’s a bit lazy for us all to say, I’ve just brought in four Japanese. I’ve brought in four quality players who I think can add to what we’re doing here.
“They have different personalities and they’ve had different career paths so far. They each will offer something different to the club.
“The reason I went down this road is two fold. One, I have great knowledge of that market in that part of the world because it’s where I’ve worked.
“And two, it’s ideal for the January market because their season finishes in December.
“I knew this after the summer window and that’s when we started working on it. If we want to get players in the January window, it’s a good part of the world to do business in.
“But don’t assume we’ve just brought in ‘four Japanese players’. We’ve brought in four top quality players who can all contribute to our club.”
But surely it’s inevitable that four players from the same country will automatically gravitate towards each other in a dressing-room?
Again, Postecoglou disagrees. Instead, he’s confident the likes of Celtic skipper Callum McGregor will help the new boys settle in.
And the Aussie makes a valid point when he says that if Maeda, Ideguchi or Hatate wanted to hang around with Japanese people, they’d have stayed in the J-League.
He said: “Again, you’re assuming they’re all the same. The reality of it is, they’re not going to help each other integrate into the group.
“Callum and the senior players in the squad understand that. They’re the ones they’ll be interacting with.
“Some came to Europe because they didn’t want to be in the environment they were in. They wanted to get away from that – that is why they’re here.
“The fact Kyogo was here WASN’T an attraction to them. And having three other players from Japan wasn’t that exciting for Kyogo.
“What’s exciting is that we’re bringing another three quality players into the squad. Kyogo is excited about that.
“For the players coming in, they’re now at a big club and want to test themselves at the highest level possible. I get it (the doubts) because it can seem like people who come from the same place are all the same.
“But I have run into all kinds of different Scots since I came here. And it’s like that all over the world.
“You’ve got to get to know these guys. They can speak Japanese but if they were only interested in continuing to speak Japanese, they’d have stayed in Japan. You’d be surprised. Kyogo’s English is coming along well. Daizen’s English is no problem and the other guys are working hard at it.
“That’s the reason they’ve left their shores. They don’t need home comforts and if they did they’d struggle wherever they went.
“From our perspective, our support comes from not trying to replicate what they had over there.
“It comes from providing an environment that makes them fulfil their football dreams. That’s why they left their own country to come to a club like this.”
Another foreign player brought in by Postecoglou is Greek striker Giorgos Giakoumakis, who is now fully fit again after the winter break.
After signing on deadline day from VVV Venlo in Holland, the frontman struggled for fitness and form.
A missed penalty in a 0-0 draw at home to Livingston in October didn’t help his cause. But Postecoglou believes that – just like his Japanese acquisitions – Giakoumakis is now ready to make an impact.
He said: “Giorgos is back, he’s done all his rehab.
“We gave most players a week off but him and a couple of others worked right through so he’s good to go.
“He’s one of three or four who didn’t have an ideal start at Celtic. He came in late and had several challenges. He didn’t do a pre-season and our campaign was up and running when he arrived.
“He had a couple of injury setbacks, a whole range of things, so we’ve had to be a patient.
“They weren’t all going to hit the ground running. Two or three of the signings were quick off the blocks but others needed time.
“Hopefully, Giorgos is now ready to go again.
“He has trained well and Giorgos will get an opportunity to show what he’s all about.”
