Another Japanese Bhoy doesn’t faze Swede Starfelt
Carl Starfelt says he will welcome Yuki Kobayashi to the club, even though he knows the Japanese will be a direct rival for his jersey.
Ange Postecoglou is readying himself for a hectic January transfer window, with players coming in and others going out as he attempts to bolster his squad for the challenges ahead.
And, having enjoyed great success with the recruitment of J-league trio Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi last winter, the Hoops boss has again turned his attention to the Land of the Rising Sun.
Kobayashi, a 22-yearold who plays for Kyogo Furuhashi’s former club, Vissel Kobe, is the man that he wants.
The left-footed central defender would be a potential long-term partner for Cameron Carter-vickers, though he would have Starfelt and Mortiz Jenz for competition.
With Starfelt only just having returned to the side after injury – his start against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu last week was his first appearance since September – that could mean a tough few months ahead.
The Swede, though, is philosophical.
He said: “The club is looking to bring in players for areas where they feel we can improve, or do with some more depth .
“Every player who can contribute to the team winning games is welcome, so we will wait and see what happens.
“Of course, at a big club like Celtic, there should always be competition.
“But, with that said, I think we have a really strong squad. We have a lot of players, and I am also happy with how our squad looks right now.
“I think we have shown we can play our football, even against the game’s big teams.
“We need experience of playing in those big games as well, to understand what it takes because there is a quite big gap between us and the teams we face on a weekly basis.
“Our football has been working in terms of creating chances, and stuff like that.
“Obviously, in the Champions League we let in too many goals, and we weren’t as ruthless in front of goal as we had hoped.”
If he does not know much about Kobayashi yet, he agrees the fact Hatate and Kyogo both failed to make their nation’s squad to travel to Qatar for the World Cup is something of a message.
“The competition must be strong!” he said of a group that does include the less-impressive Maeda.
“I don’t know too much about the other Japanese involved, but they are very good players, who have done really well for Celtic.
“I am sure their time with the national team will come as well.”