CELTIC LINKED WITH JAPANESE CONFERENCE LEAGUE STAR
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Multiple sources this morning claim that Celtic are interested in Djurgardens left-back Keita Kosugi.
The 19-year-old Japanese left back initially moved to Europe in the spring of 2024, and broke into the Djurgardens first team last season.
He impressed throughout his club’s European campaign as they reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Conference League. Of particular note was his two starts, and commanding performances against English Premier League side Chelsea.
Is Keita Kosugi the Greg Taylor Replacement Celtic Need?
Now we are, of course, entering the silly season as far as transfers go, with no doubt dozens of players set to be linked with Celtic over the next month or two.
However, this one might actually have something to it.
Japanese sports news site Sponichi says that Celtic, Atalanta and PSG have all scouted the player.
However, if Kosugi chose Atalanta or PSG he would not be a first team regular. It is more likely he would enter their youth set-up for a year or two.
At Celtic on the other hand, he would directly challenge Kieran Tierney for the left back berth.
Additionally, like most Japanese players, Kosugi can play more than one role.
During his time in the J-League with Shonan Bellmare, he also played at right back and on the left side of a midfield four at different spells.
So, despite the obvious obstacle of Celtic’s highest profile player, and probable future captain Kieran Tierney, Kosugi would, probably, still have more opportunities for first team football at Celtic than he would at Atalanta, and definitely more than he would at PSG.
And this is where Kosugi’s priorities will lie for the season ahead.
He is on the brink of making his international debut for Japan. However, in order to keep his current momentum going he needs to be playing first team football, ideally at an elite European level. Celtic can offer that if we make the Champions League.
Even in the worst-case scenario, where we lose our qualifier in August, we are still assured Europa League Group Stage football. This would still represent a significant step up from The Conference League
We are only a year away from the World Cup. Japan have already qualified. Kosugi is one of many emerging young talents at the moment with his eyes on a place in that squad next summer.
At 19 years old, Kosugi also fits in with the Celtic business model of buying young prospects and then selling them on a few years later for a significant profit.
We’re probably looking at something around 6- 8 million for him at the moment. However, if Kosugi lives up to his early promise and makes that Japan squad next summer, expect his value to skyrocket.
If this deal is going to happen, then it’ll need to within the next few weeks. Kosugi is a hot property but one that Celtic may just have a slight advantage in attempting to sign.
However, we absolutely cannot dither like we did last season over Arne Engels or Adam Idah.
Kosugi will want to get his club for next season sorted out as soon as possible. The 2026 World Cup is his ultimate goal. Celtic need to act now, or this opportunity may pass us by.
