Yosuke Ideguchi has left Celtic on a year-long loan deal after failing to impress at Parkhead.
The Japanese midfielder has returned to the J League with Avispa Fukuoka just over a year after arriving in Glasgow. He was part of a triple swoop by Ange Postecoglou in January 2022 that also saw Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate added to the squad. Unlike his compatriots, however, Idergucji has struggled to make an impact in green and white, with his chances restricted due to injury and competition for midfield places.
Aaron Mooy’s capture on a free transfer in August and the Aussie’s recent form saw Ideguchi fall further down the pecking order, while the signing of Tomoki Iwata meant the writing was on the wall for the former Leeds United man. His Celtic career is now following a similar path to his time at Elland Road, which saw him loaned to Cultural Leonesa and Greuther Furth before departing the Yorkshire outfit.
Postecoglou insisted last season that Ideguchi was at Celtic for the long term despite not featuring much after initially arriving in Glasgow. He said: "With all of these guys, I didn’t buy them for the first six months.
"They’re here for the next three or four years and I’ve no doubt he’ll become an important player for us over the course of time. He’s a team-focused guy and even when he’s not playing, you see him in training and he’s our hardest worker and that raises the levels for everyone. He knew what he was getting into so he’s adjusted really well and as a family they’ve made that decision and this is where they see their future and I think all those kinds of things help."
Ideguchi’s Celtic contract runs until 2026. However, if his gametime doesn’t significantly increase after this current loan spell ends, it looks increasingly likely that he’ll be moved on well before his deal expires.
READ NEXT:
