PREPARATION for player unveilings can often involve a deep-dive into their past to uncover any links with the club they have moved to, with footballers very often seeking advice from teammates or friends within the game who may have played at their potential new outfit before they make that switch.
Very rarely these days though does sifting through squads from the noughties produce any nuggets to mine, but believe it or not, the arrival of 22-year-old Yuki Kobayashi at Celtic has uncovered just such a gem.
When he was 19, Kobayashi was on loan at Yokohama F. Marinos, and lined up alongside a then 41-year-old Shunsuke Nakamura, the legendary Celtic midfielder.
Neither man could know that their career paths would draw another parallel a few years down the line, but Celtic did indeed come up in conversation as the young defender quizzed the elder statesman on what it was like to play for the club at the highest level of European competition.
“He was at Yokohama and he talked to me about the experiences he had in the Champions League,” Kobayashi said.
“At that moment, I never thought I was going to play for Celtic so I didn’t ask too much about the club. But he really sold and told me about the happiness and joy he had in the Champions League.
“Of course, he had a fantastic career. Being able to listen to someone who had those top-level experiences was really great and exciting for me as a young player.
“From my perspective, it helped me to design my career.”
So, if Lubo Moravcik is known among Celtic fans now as a gift from God, then Nakamura could reasonably be dubbed the gift that keeps on giving.
There are more obvious and recent links between Kobayashi and Celtic, most notably in the shape of former Vissel Kobe teammate Kyogo Furuhashi, who has been telling Kobayashi what to expect at the club and how hard he will have to work to make a positive impression.
“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. As I said, I will prepare myself to try and help the team.
“When I first heard of the interest of Celtic I was very happy because I thought it was a good opportunity for me. 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, this was my main target to continue my career.
“Currently, Japanese players are having good results [at Celtic] 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.”
Kobayahsi’s new manager, Ange Postecoglou, is also hoping that the presence of the Japanese stars already at the club will help his new recruit settle quickly.
“It’s good to have Yuki in,” Postecoglou said. “He’s someone I’ve been tracking this last 12 months in the J-League.
“He’s a left-sided centre back, which are not always easy to find. At 22, he’s already got a lot of experience in a good competition in Japan and played a number of games.
“With him being out of contract I felt it was a good opportunity to bring him in now and let him get bedded into the club.
“He’ll start training now and obviously will be available come January. But this allows us to ease him in and he’s one we’ll look at medium to long term, but whatever he contributes in the short term will be a bonus.
“The position he plays, there’s a real opportunity there to develop a really good player.”
