---
title: "Celtic: Postecoglou eyes Tomoki Iwata for transfer swoop"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/celtic-tomoki-iwata-transfer-rumours/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Dominic Lund"
section: "Celtic News"
published: "2022-12-24T15:15:12Z"
modified: "2022-12-24T15:15:12Z"
---

# Celtic: Postecoglou eyes Tomoki Iwata for transfer swoop

**[Celtic](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/celtic-news/) manager Ange Postecoglou is now eyeing Yokohama F.Marinos midfielder Tomoki Iwata for a January transfer swoop.**

### The Lowdown: Celtic’s J-League signings

Postecoglou is no stranger to bringing in players from the J-League, with Kyogo Furuhashi [arriving](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57860716) last summer and proving to be a huge success, with [11](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/kyogo-furuhashi/leistungsdaten/spieler/489463) goals in 15 [Scottish Premiership](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/scottish-premiership-news/) games so far this season.

Other signings include the likes of Reo Hatate, and Daizen Maeda, while centre-back Yuki Kobayashi recently [agreed](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11787/12753827/celtic-transfer-news-yuki-kobayashi-joins-on-five-year-deal-from-vissel-kobe#:~:text=Celtic%20have%20signed%20defender%20Yuki,for%20selection%20in%20January%202023.) a five-year deal at Parkhead, leaving Vissel Kobe.

Now, it appears as though the Hoops could be moving for yet another J-League star, with Iwata now in Postecoglou’s sights…

### The Latest: Celtic eyeing Iwata

According to a [report](https://www.mailplus.co.uk/scottish-edition/sport/245817?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shared_link) from the Scottish Daily Mail,  Celtic have now placed the 25-year-old on a list of a potential signings in January.

The defensive-midfielder could replace compatriot Yosuke Ideguchi at Parkhead, who is now set to be [offered](https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/9894585/celtic-offload-yosuke-ideguchi-january-incoming-transfers/) the option to return to Japan in January, after finding himself way down the pecking order.

\[freshpress-quiz id=”419088″\]

### The Verdict: Get it done?

Although the signing of Ideguchi did not work out, Postecoglou has a proven track record of signing quality players from Japan, and he should be trusted again in the January market.

Not only that, but football writer Sacha Pisani has recently claimed that the [4](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/tomoki-iwata/profil/spieler/356236)-time Japan international is ‘[Highly, highly rated in Yokohama](https://twitter.com/Sachk0/status/1606601227546267649)‘, after helping them on their way to [winning](https://www.jleague.co/news/yokohama-fmarinos-win-the-2022-meiji-yasuda-j1-league/) the title back in November, featuring in [32](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/tomoki-iwata/leistungsdaten/spieler/356236) games over the course of the league season.

Celtic could do with another option in central-midfield, considering Ideguchi is looking set to depart and James McCarthy is yet to return from a significant [hamstring](https://twitter.com/PLZSoccer/status/1589983401289060354?s=20&t=cy0VwmH0928kSdOTiIvIMg) injury, and so Iwata would be a very astute signing in January, but given that he is [contracted](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/tomoki-iwata/profil/spieler/356236) until January 2025, he may not come cheap.