Kobayashi sure that his compatriots will help him settle quickly
Celtic’s stock is understandably at an all-time high in Japan.
Since Shunsuke Nakamura spent four productive years in the east end of Glasgow between 2005 and 2009, the club have always been on the radar of Japanese football fans. But now that Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and Yuki Kobayashi are part of the current squad, interest has piqued.
Kobayashi, a 22-year-old defender, landed in Scotland yesterday, a week on from his transfer from Vissel Kobe being concluded. He has penned a five-year deal with the cinch Premiership champions.
He is not expected to walk into the starting XI, given the status Cameron Carter-vickers and Carl Starfelt command in the team. Then there are Moritz Jenz and Stephen Welsh. Despite the competition, Kobayashi said that once Celtic made their interest concrete, there was only one place he wanted to be.
“When I first heard of the interest of Celtic I was very happy because I thought it was a good opportunity for me,” Kobayashi said. “Once I got the offer, we talked with Vissel Kobe and they sent me to play here. As soon as I heard about the interest from Celtic, thiswasmymaintargettocontinue my career.
“Currently, Japanese players are having good results so I had a really good impression of the club anyway. We can say for sure that Celtic is one of the most famous European clubs in Japan. The fact we already have Japanese players here for more than a season helps me a lot. I’m sure of that. I think it will be a benefit and I can have a good adaptation to the club and the style of football.”
Kobayashi was able to take counsel from Furuhashi about a move given that the two were team-mates at Vissel Kobe. “I had contact with him, yes,” he said. “He told me about the team, the stadium and the atmosphere. It was very positive. Does the success of Kyogo show me what’s possible? I have a confidence in myself and will prepare myself to my best standard to train hard. Obviously, I play a different position to Kyogo but I think I can adapt quickly as he did. I will prepare myself to try and help the team.”
Japanese football in general
is in a fine place. The Blue Samurai defeated both Spain and Germany en route to topping their group. They play Croatia in the last 16 on Monday. Kobayashi believes playing for Celtic can enhance his chances of being in Hajime Moriyasu’s squad in future.
"Our national team is doing very well at the moment and
I would like to play with them in the future,” the centre-back added.
"This is why I came to Celtic. To try and play well here and then hopefully be called up to the national team in the times ahead.
“I think that by playing well here, I can have a lot of opportunities to be part of the
squad. This is very important for me.
“The manager is expecting me to be a strong defender at centre-back and to help the build-up and support our playing style. In terms of the opportunity ahead, I will just have to show my best performances to get those opportunities.”