We may only be five days into the January window, but Ange Postcoglou has already added three new options to his Celtic squad.
Earlier this week, we were given our first glimpse of Alistair Johnston, and there was also a place on the bench for Yuki Kobayashi.
Having signed in late November, the Celtic duo were given the time to get up to speed with their new teammates at Lennoxtown over the last month or so.
It is fair to say that getting both players in so early has proved to be a success for the Bhoys, given that Johnston and Kobayashi are now fully ready to go at Parkhead.
Although our first two signings are now prepared to make an immediate impact, it appears it won’t be the same story for Tomoki Iwata, who officially signed last week.
The former Yokohama F Marinos man looks to be another smart acquisition by Postecoglou, given that he has only recently picked up the player of the year award in Japan.
MORE CELTIC STORIES
But we may have to wait a little longer to see the versatile midfielder in the green and white Hoops. So why is that?
Tomoki Iwata set for Celtic Park grace period upon his arrival in Glasgow.
Well, first of all, we are still awaiting Tomoki Iwata’s arrival in Glasgow after officially becoming a Celtic player on the 1st of January.
If his Instagram is anything to go by in recent days, the 25-year-old is still in his homeland. It hasn’t been confirmed, but this could be due to the club waiting for the final clearances of our third January deal.
Even upon his arrival at Parkhead, though, Iwata will likely need to be given a similar grace period to some of our previous signings, such as Johnston, Kobayashi or summer additions like Sead Haksabanovic.
This is due to the prolonged period that the Japanese midfielder has been out of action, given that the J-League was finished on the 5th of November.
Iwata’s last outing for his old club came during a special friendly fixture, where he played 82 minutes in a 3-3 draw with Italian side Roma on the 28th of November.
So, by the time Celtic’s newest recruit arrives in Scotland, he will have been out of competitive action for over two months.
Of course, having played under Ange Postecoglou previously in Japan, it may not take as long for the J-League player of the year to get up to speed with Celtic’s current system.
However, he will still need some time to build up his fitness, match sharpness and understanding with his new teammates at Celtic Park.
At this stage of the season, usually, the Bhoys would currently be partaking in a January winter break for around 2-3 weeks.
However, with the Qatar World Cup taking place in November and December, the schedule has looked slightly different in Scotland.
So Iwata will need to build himself up whilst the Hoops play out some important games. But that could also give Ange Postecoglou a chance to integrate him into the side slowly.
It remains to be seen when the exact date of Iwata’s arrival in Glasgow. But you would imagine it won’t be long until we see him joining up with his new teammates at Lennoxtown.
It is useful to consider that the Celtic manager isn’t going to throw the midfielder in right from the off. He will need some time to build himself up before being ready to go for the Hoops after several months away from action.
In other news, Ex-Celtic midfielder makes SPFL management return after short English spell.