With Celtic looking to offload players in January, TBR Celtic discussed this morning how that job could be made easier in terms of on-loan midfielder, Yosuke Ideguchi.
The 27-year-old created history this weekend by helping Avispa Fukuoka win their first-ever major honour and it seems now that they are keen to make Ideguchi’s loan move permanent.
However, in a recent interview, Ideguchi shared why he was so keen to get out of Celtic as it seems that he still has a burning ambition to play for Japan at international level.
Ideguchi said [Sports Hochi], “The main reason why I came back to Japan this year was because I saw the Qatar World Cup and for the first time I really wanted to play in the World Cup in four years.
“In order to do that, I had to play. I thought Japan they were playing really good football, and it was frustrating to see the younger players playing so lively. Ritsu (G Osaka’s junior, Doyasu) is the same, and so is [Kauro] Mitoma. I was like, what am I doing here?
“It was surprising to me that I thought that (after being away from the national team for so long).
“I felt that I would not be able to play at Celtic but Avispa approached me and I came without hesitation.”
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Believe it or not, Ideguchi has already been capped for the Samurai Blues 15 times and has scored twice for Hajime Moriyasu’s side.
He last represented Japan in 2019 during a 1-0 loss to South Korea but it seems that the last World Cup, and regular football in his homeland, has gave him the urge to get his place back in the national side.
And let’s face it, he’s not going to get any minutes on the pitch at Celtic. Ideguchi is due to return back to Glasgow when his loan deal expires at the end of December so if Avispa have any intentions of making a move for him, the Hoops should take the deal and use his salary to invest elsewhere in the squad.
In other news, ‘I’ve watched’: Pat Bonner believes 28-year-old Celtic player hasn’t been the same since Ange Postecoglou left (tbrfootball.com)