New Celtic signing Shin Yamada has revealed that a phone call with Reo Hatate sold him on a move to the Parkhead club.
The Japanese striker became Brendan Rodgers' sixth summer signing after penning a four-year deal.
"I am very happy to be here," Yamada told Celtic TV.
"I am really looking forward to playing as a Celtic player. I heard about the interest at the end of last year.
"Here at Celtic is a good environment for me to play, so hopefully I can meet expectations and play well here."
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The 25-year-old joins from J-League outfit Kawasaki Frontale, the same club Hatate departed Glasgow for.
"When I joined Kawasaki Frontale, he [Hatate] had already left," said Yamada.
"I have not had the chance to meet Reo face to face. However, after there was a rumour of me joining Celtic, I had a call with him. He told me that this was a nice club, and that it was a privilege to play for them. I got in contact with Hayato Inamura, too, and spoke with him.
"Reo, Daizen (Maeda) and a lot of other Japanese players have played here, and they have performed very well.
"I would like to do the same, or even go beyond that."
The centre-forward has failed to hit the same heights this year as he did in 2024. Regardless, Yamada is eager to kick on at Parkhead and make a push for a place in Japan's 2026 World Cup squad.
He added: "First of all, I am a striker, so I need to do my job and I will try to score goals. My other strengths will be power and speed, so I will try and score lots of goals using these strengths.
"I want to perform well here, and score the goals that will help me play for the national team, so I can play at the World Cup.
"I will do my best to contribute to games for results and wins."
