Tomoki Iwata

I do wonder with Rodgers in.

Will we see more of Iwata in a deeper role, with guys like McGregor and Hatate playing more active and dynamic roles in attacks.

That type of midfield three I feel is would be so amazing.

I know others are saying how they expect O'Riley to go up levels under Rodgers. But I believe with McGregor being given more box to box responsibilities and then Hatate being the go between pinging off passes and sticking around the edge of the box for snap long shots... that trio could do real damage.

 

Nah mate he is our player wad a legal obligation to buy

 

Man the Japanese lads love going back to their old clubs when they go home!

 

Agree. Looks like Hatate if we ordered him from Wish. Any time he has played in Midfield he has looked a half yard of the pace. In defence he is quite awful. There may be a player there but don't see who he shifts out of midfield and he should be kept a mile away from the CB position.

 

Don't really care about this dude tbh

 

We've already signed him tho, no..?

Compulsory wasn't it..

 

It is odd we haven't announced him yet, I'm certain we did the same for Maeda.

 

Was definitely reported as an obligation to buy same as Maeda, not an option, only way he's not our player is if there was a clause in place for him to pull out if he doesn't settle here, the club can't go back on it.

 

If we don't go through with it, do Sevco get £1m and a 10% sell on fee?

 

Maybe see permanent signing announced today. First working day of July.

 

We never announced daizen again

 

He is our player the only reason Yokohama F Marinos do this loan with compulsory purchase is to do with their tax years, I am sure this was explained with Maeda. Italian teams do this all the time too Atalanta got major praise for their use of it as it allowed them to essentially sell/loan with obligation a lot of players at once but then have a good transfer income over two or three seasons.

The only way he isn’t our player and is back at YFM or another club is if he wants to go back, we don’t want him and the club buying would meet the price we agreed to pay. So if it was YFM, it would all just get written off basically. However I fully expect he will be here next season with us at least until January anyway.

 

Pretty sure that's what it was, that the player can choose to break it if they feel they didn't settle, or it was the wrong move. It's actually a very good model for transfers, since we can easily break it too by telling the player they won't play and they'll probably go back to their club - as long as we don't screw up and offer them millions in wages out the door.

 

Busy boy doing press work for the games

 

https://www.sponichi.co.jp/soccer/news/2023/07/03/kiji/20230703s00002000573000c.html

DF Tomoki Iwata (26), who contributed to Celtic's domestic triple crown in the Scottish first division, appeared on TV Tokyo "FOOT x BRAIN" (Saturday midnight 0:25) on the 1st late night broadcast. He revealed a teammate who was affected.


In the program, the MC actor, Masanobu Katsumura, traveled to Scotland at the end of May and covered the site with Celtic's "full cooperation". He directly hit DF Iwata, who joined from Yokohama in December last year with a time-limited transfer until June 9, 2023.

　Last year, Iwata won the 2022 J.League Best Player Award for leading Yokohama to victory with the fewest league goals. Even in Celtic, he participated in 18 official games as a volunteer and center back (CB) while joining in the middle of the season. He contributed to the domestic triple crown, including two league victories in a row.





In an interview, when Katsumura asked him about his current situation, he said with a smile, "You've gotten used to it." "But when I first came here, the weather and the pitch were completely different from Japan, so I was a little confused," he said.

　When asked about his impression of the team, he said, "I think it's a team with a long history, and the players are all high-level players. They're at a good level right from practice, so I'm always having fun playing." As for players who have been particularly influenced by him, he said, “Leo (flag bearer), who has a similar position to Japanese players. Captain Callum McGregor has been selected for the Scottish national team for a long time, and I have a lot to learn.” Revealed.

Regarding the supporters, who are known for being enthusiastic, he commented, "It's really hot. I feel like this is real soccer." Regarding food, he said with a smile, "There's nothing more to say about rice. There's Japanese food, and there's a lot of red meat at steak restaurants. I love it. It's the best."

　Finally, when asked about his goals and dreams for the future, he said, “In the new season, I will be able to play in the Champions League for the first time. Told.