HAYATO INAMURA: CELTIC FANS CONCERNED, BUT HE'S NO KOBAYASHI. HERE'S WHY
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- Jun 30
- 3 min read
I’ll be diplomatic and say that there has been a wee bit of pessimism, regarding Hayato Inamura’s impending move to Celtic since I first started covering it 2 weeks ago.
The example of Yuki Kobayashi, another young, Japanese, central defender who joined Celtic a couple of years ago and ultimately didn’t make the grade has been frequently cited both in fan media and in the press as evidence that Inamura isn’t worth the risk.
I feel this is unfair, but I can understand the sentiment among Celtic fans. So, please allow me to offer a bit more context.
Hayato Inamura Celtic Move: Less Kobayashi, More Hatate
The biggest difference between Kobayashi and Inamura is their development pathway. Kobayashi progressed in a way that we might expect for a conventional footballer in Scotland.
He was part of Vissel Kobe’s youth set-up from the age of 10, and signed a professional contract with them in 2018 at the age of 17. He then spent the following two seasons on loan, first at Machida Zelvia, and later FC Yokohama.
After finally nailing down a first team place at Vissel, he enjoyed two successful seasons, before joining Celtic in November 2022.
Celtic sold him just under 2 years later, after only 5 first team appearances.
Now, let’s look at Inamura, who is only 18 months younger, but has, on paper, played far less than Kobayashi's 156 professional appearances to date.
Hayato Inamura has earned the right to get a move to Celtic the hard way. He has balanced his football career with academic studies for the past 4 years.
Now, this is not a slight on anyone who hasn’t gone to university. I got a degree in journalism and probably the only meaningful impact the experience had on me was to make me not want to be a journalist in Scotland.
Back on topic, what this means for Inamura is that he has basically started his professional career 4 years later than Kobayashi. Like Kobayashi, he was on the book of a J-League team as a youth. In Inamura’s case it was FC Tokyo.
However, that is where the similarities end. Whilst Kobayashi moved into pro football at 17, Inamura was playing elite High school football at the time, and then moved onto university. He then continued to play in the university football system throughout his studies at Toyo University.
His performances in this, something akin to the American collegiate sports system, are what earned him his initial contract at Albirex Niigata, under a scheme called the Special Designated Player System.
This allows J-League clubs to sign up to 3 players professionally without having to register them with the first team. In other words, it allows prospects like Inamura to continue their studies, whilst securing their professional football future.
Only players considered to have tremendous potential are afforded this opportunity. Like I said, it’s basically the equivalent of an American college basketball player being snapped up to play in the NBA.
Kobayashi, whilst I thought he looked good at Vissel Kobe, never reached that level of attention in Japan during his development.
Of course, good collegiate players don’t always graduate to become top level stars, but Celtic have another graduate of this scheme in their ranks already. Reo Hatate only played 62 games in professional football before moving to Celtic.
Like Inamura, he was at university until the age of 22. And like Inamura, his performances for Juntendo University earned him a move to Kawasaki Frontale and, in turn, a move to Celtic.
Now, is Hayato Inamura as good as Reo Hatate?
No he isn’t. At least not yet.
Is he better than Yuki Kobayashi?
Whilst we won’t know for sure until he has been in Scotland for a while and played a few games for Celtic’s first team, he has achieved far more at this point in his career than Kobayashi had at the same stage of his development. So, yes, I'd say he is.
This is a risk by Celtic, but based on what I have read and seen about Inamura in my research, it’s a well-calculated risk.
I’m quietly optimistic, and hopefully once the player arrives and shows what he can do, other Celtic fans will be too.
