Celtic have officially announced the permanent transfer move this afternoon, as they look to reshape Martin O'Neill's squad.
The summer transfer window is now well underway. We have seen plenty of clubs make their moves. But Celtic have remained silent so far. As a result, fans are starting to get impatient.
It is quite clear that the Hoops need to strengthen their squad in the upcoming summer transfer window. But is Celtic's recruitment good enough to ensure that?
Some of the signings Celtic have made in recent times have not made much sense. One of them was the signing of Hayato Inamura from Albirex Niigata.
It did not feel like a Brendan Rodgers signing. At that point, Inamura had only made 36 senior appearances and was not someone who was expected to come in and immediately strengthen the squad. That did not stop the club from signing him. Unsurprisingly, it did not work out.
Celtic Announce Official Permanent Transfer
The initial expectation was that Inamura would be sent out on loan in order to develop his game further. But after he put in some impressive displays in pre-season, that changed.
Despite staying on at Celtic Park, changes did not come for Inamura though. He only made one senior appearance for the club before he was eventually sent out on loan back to Japan. Now, a permanent transfer has followed.
According to the club's official social media channels, Inamura has completed a permanent transfer move to FC Tokyo.
We can only wish him the best of luck in this step and hope that he enjoys a solid career in the J-League moving forward.
Why Hayato Inamura Did Not Succeed at Celtic
One could argue that this was a signing that was never going to work out. And to be fair, most fans did not expect it to either.
The change of plans did not help either. Perhaps if Inamura had been sent out on loan immediately last summer, as had been the original plan, it would have worked out.
A stint at another Scottish club could have helped him find his feet in a new league and understand what would be needed to succeed in the Premiership. Instead, he spent that time sitting on the bench or in the reserves at Celtic.
So, by the time that he was sent out on loan, it was back to the J-League instead of a Scottish Premiership club. When that happens, that writing is pretty much always on the wall.
Unsurprisingly, Inamura has completed a permanent move. Now, if reports coming out of Japan are accurate, then Celtic have made a healthy transfer profit. So, ultimately, the signing cannot go down as a mistake, even though that might not have been the point of signing the youngster in the first place.
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