Ange Postecoglou admitted he signed Tomoki Iwata because of his strength and aggression when he first landed the player last year.
The Yokohama F.Marinos star looks certain to become the latest Japanese ace to move to Celtic, with reports in his homeland suggesting a loan with an option to buy deal is almost complete. Iwata - the J League Player of the Year- was in the Japanese third tier as a youngster with Oita Trinita before winning successive promotions into their top flight. That caught the eye of Postecoglou who snapped him up in January 2021 in what would be his last season as a manager in Japan.
And the Australian boss underlined then why Iwata's attributes grabbed his attention as he prepares to join compatriots Kyogo, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate, Yuki Kobayashi and Yosuke Ideguchi. He explained: "Tomoki has been a player I have been watching for some time. I saw a player who was excellent in many positions - that's why I signed him. He can play at the bottom of the midfield as an anchor or as a central defender. He is very comfortable as a right back or a right midfielder too.
"What I like about him is the strength and aggression that he will bring to the team. We want to add a bit of steel to Marinos and Tomoki will be a big part of that. I'm excited about what he can bring to the team."
Postecoglou's judgment proved to be spot on as Iwata helped his successor - former Rangers defender Kevin Muscat - lead Yokohama to the J League title this year.
And Iwata was named J League Player of the Year for 2022 - the first defender to win the award since Marcus Tulio Tanaka won it in 2006.
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