SHIN YAMADA: HAYATO INAMURA CELTIC COMPARISONS ARE UNFAIR, BUT UNDERSTANDABLE
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SHIN YAMADA: HAYATO INAMURA CELTIC COMPARISONS ARE UNFAIR, BUT UNDERSTANDABLE

If sources in Japan and Scotland are correct, Shin Yamada could be Celtic's next signing.
If sources in Japan and Scotland are correct, Shin Yamada could be Celtic's next signing.

I'm not going to lie, I did feel a bit of vindication and, perhaps, an element of smugness this morning upon opening up my computer and seeing almost universal praise for Hayato Inamura’s efforts in his first 45 minutes for Celtic. 

See the Scottish Premiere of Ange and the Boss with ACSOM
See the Scottish Premiere of Ange and the Boss with ACSOM

Most importantly, the manager himself said he was pleasantly surprised both by last night’s game and by how well Inamura has done in training over his first few days at Celtic. 

It seems our latest Japanese acquisition might not be loaned out this summer after all. 


Brendan Rodgers' initial comments on Friday, suggesting that a loan move to gain first team experience might be the way forward for Inamura for the time being, caused a bit of confusion among both the Scottish media, and indeed some Celtic fans. 

It also altered the perception of many with regards to our other Japanese target Shin Yamada. A common belief seems to have emerged since Rodgers’ Friday interview that Yamada too would be loaned out if and when Celtic sign him. 


Aside from Nationality, Shin Yamada, Hayato Inamura are Totally Different Players

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Now, I understand why a lot of people would draw this conclusion, but I believe it is a flawed one. We all have our own personal prejudices, and cultural misunderstandings, usually unintentionally so. 

One such misconception I’ve seen amongst the media and some Celtic fans over the last few days is that because he is coming from the J-League, Shin Yamada, much like Hayato Inamura, will also require an extended period of adjustment to European football. 


Whilst Inamura was busy getting to know his new teammates on the training pitch on Monday morning, Shin Yamada was preparing to make his full international debut. He played 45 minutes of Japan’s 6-1 victory over Hong Kong in the opening game of the East Asian Football Championship on Monday night, Japan time. 

Yamada may only be about 18 months older than Inamura, but he is light-years ahead in his development. He already has close to 3 years of professional experience under his belt, and all of it at Kawasaki Frontale, one of Japan’s biggest clubs. 


No disrespect to Albirex Niigata, but to use an English football comparison this is the equivalent of Celtic potentially signing a player from Liverpool or Man City, after we've just signed a player from Norwich. 

Shin Yamada will leave Kawasaki this summer. Of that much I am certain. Sources in both Japan and Scotland believe his destination is Celtic Park. If he does come to Celtic, it will not be as a “development player” or as “one for the future”. 


He’s 25 years old, a full international (playing for a country ranked far higher than Scotland these days). I should also add that he has played more games at this point in his career than Reo Hatate had when he came to Celtic and a similar level to Kyogo by the time he was 25. 

The biggest concern most fans seem to have, and again, given the failure of players like Yosuke Ideguchi and Yuki Kobayashi, it’s an understandable one, is the lack of physicality. 


Funnily enough, if you watch Yamada play, for all he hasn't scored as many goals this season as he would have liked, he certainly isn't a lightweight. There’s definitely more John Hartson than Kyogo to his style of play. 

If Celtic can get this deal over the line, they will be getting not only a technically very gifted footballer, who can score goals, but also a stocky wee man who loves a scrap. 

Some would say, that is a quality that Celtic have lacked of late. 


 
 
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