Tomoki Iwata will bring both technical ability and a winning mentality to Celtic, leaving him perfectly placed to make an instant impact.
That is the view of Peter Cklamovski, Ange Postecoglou’s long-time assistant with Yokohama F Marinos and the Australia national team, who now manages in the J2 League with Montedio Yamagata.
Iwata, who can play in a variety of positions between defence and midfield, last week became the sixth Japanese player to sign for Celtic since Postecoglou arrived in summer 2021, with Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda, Yosuke Ideguchi and Yuki Kobayashi all on the books of the Scottish champions.
The 25-year-old comes to Scotland having won the J1 League with Marinos back in November and having subsequently been named the tournament’s Player of the Year.
“Iwata is an excellent signing and I can’t wait to watch him play with Celtic,” said Cklamovski, who watched him closely while guiding Yamagata to the J2 League play-offs in their most recent campaign. “His athleticism is elite, he’s at a great physical level, he has very good mobility and he is technically efficient.
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“He will fit into Ange and Celtic’s style of play seamlessly and he has a winner’s mentality too — he absolutely won’t be out of place in the Celtic jersey.
“I believe he will be ready to contribute to Celtic’s season immediately and he will no doubt be hungry to keep developing his game at the same time. One aspect to consider is that he has just finished a short off-season period, so perhaps there will be a short period needed to build his level up ready for matches. That said, he is a physical machine.”
Cklamovski, a 44-year-old from Sydney who won the league at Marinos with Postecoglou, told The Times that Iwata is “the perfect age” to make a move to an elite club, having already garnered significant playing experience while also possessing significant scope — and desire — for growth.
“He has had a good grounding and made good steps in his career. Interestingly, he started off his professional career as a youngster with his youth club Oita Trinita and played three seasons in J3 and J2 compiling around 50 games over those seasons and achieving promotion into J1 during this time, which is a great accolade.
“He then contributed and performed well in J1 for two seasons with another 50 odd games to then be signed by Ange at Marinos in [January] 2021. Two solid seasons with Marinos and obviously most recently winning the league in 2022 reinforces the habit of winning, which is a special attribute.
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“I think Celtic fans and Scottish football have gained an appreciation of the level of Japanese football and Tomoki won’t disappoint in terms of football level, character or personality.
“Keep in mind, Tomoki is a youth international through younger age groups with Japan and has been capped a few times with the senior national team a couple of years ago. He’s had a fantastic season in 2022, winning the title and being named MVP for the competition. He will prove to be a very good signing I have no doubt.”
Cklamovski insists we should not read anything into the fact that Iwata was not included in the Japan squad for the World Cup in Qatar, a tournament that saw Hajime Moriyasu’s men defeat Germany and Spain before losing to Croatia in the Round of 16.
Pointing out that players of the calibre of Furuhashi and Hatate, among others, also did not make the cut, Cklamovski said: “There were many very good Japanese players that missed out on selection for the World Cup squad. This again highlights the level of Japanese football. I think his move to Celtic will put Tomoki in the frame of national team selections more in the future.”
Having taken his men to Australia back in November for the Sydney Super Cup, Postecoglou has been tipped to oversee a pre-season trip to Japan this summer.
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“Japanese supporters love when their players excel and do well abroad. Celtic has become a special club for the Japanese with Ange being there along with his Japanese contingent,” Cklamovski acknowledged. “Japan will continue to be proud and no doubt the Japanese contingent are inspiring the next generation of Japanese players. As and when they come to Japan, Celtic will experience an enormous love.”
The Scottish champions have been linked with further January forays into the Asian market, with the South Korean pair Cho Gue-sung and Kwon Hyeok-kyu reported to be targets.
“There might be a few more,” Cklamovski smiled. “But everyone and everything is on Ange’s radar so they [signings] do not necessarily need to be from Marinos or Japan!”
