WHO IS HAYATO INAMURA? CELTIC’S LATEST JAPANESE LINK
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- Jun 16
- 3 min read
I’ve spoken a few times on ACSOM over the past few months about some of the players here in Japan that I believe Celtic should take a look at.
However this latest link is one that, I have to admit, has completely flown under my radar.
Hayato Inamura Celtic Link is a Surprise, But a Welcome One
One of the reasons I haven’t really seen much of Inamura lately is that he plays for one of the J-League’s less fashionable clubs.
Albirex Niigata are, perhaps analogous to a team like Ross County, or St Johnstone in Scotland. One of those clubs that is very well run, and has a small yet active fanbase.
They are also something of a “yo-yo” club. They’ve been in the top flight since gaining promotion from J-2 back 2022. But they’ve found themselves in a relegation dog fight every year since. This season is no different, as once again, we see Albirex near the foot of the J1 League table.
Admittedly we are only a couple of months into the Japanese league season so there’s still plenty of time for the provincial side to turn it around.
What I would say is, don’t be put off by the fact this is a small club, in the wrong half of the league. Daizen Maeda got his first international call up for Japan whilst playing in the green and white hoops of Matsumoto Yamaga.
As much as I have a soft spot for Yamaga, being my local team and all, they are a significantly smaller club than Albirex Niigata.
The J-League doesn’t suffer from the same issue as the SPFL and, to a lesser extent, most of the major European leagues, where the big clubs hoover up all the major talent at a very young age, leaving the rest of the league to languish in mediocrity.
Indeed, it is the fact that so many talented youths, from a host of different clubs are able to burst on to the scene each year that makes the J-League such a dynamic, and often unpredictable championship race.
So, what kind of player is Inamura?
Well, he’s 23 years old, so he fits with Celtic’s profile of recruiting promising young talent and selling them on when they reach their prime.
He is primarily a left-sided center back. However, like most Japanese players, the ability to play multiple roles for the greater benefit of the team was ingrained within him from a young age.
So, to answer what seemed to be the eternal question following every player Celtic were linked with back in January: “Yes, he can play left-back!”
At 6ft he’s also quite an imposing figure. He has, on occasion played as a defensive midfielder, particularly last season when he helped the unfancied Albirex reach the Japanese League Cup Final.
I made no secret of the fact that, if Celtic ventured back into the Japanese market I wanted them to go for Kota Takai, who I honestly think is a future Japan captain in the making.
However, since he now has a number of clubs in Germany and Italy supposedly ready to make him an offer, that particular ship may have already sailed out of Celtic’s reach.
So, Inamura does, I think, fit a similar profile. He’d cost a lot less and his club won’t be hard to deal with.
This is potentially a great move for all concerned. Of course, there is an element of risk. Afterall, for every Nakamura and Maeda, there’s also a Mizuno and a Kobayashi.
However, Inamura looks the part, he’s ready to make the step up to European football, and Celtic would be the natural evolution for him at this point in his career.
This is one that I think has a better than average chance of working out.
