New Celtic midfielder Tomoki Iwata has taken to Instagram to send a farewell message to Yokohama F.Marinos and thank supporters for all the messages he’s received in recent days.
Iwata has completed a ‘long-term’ transfer to the Bhoys after helping Marinos to the J-League title as the division’s player of the year.
He was quick to post on social media after Celtic officially announced the transfer, stating: “Thank you so much to everyone involved in the Marinos for 2 years! I was able to make my dream come true to play abroad. I hope to continue to use what I have gained so far in the next stage, and grow even more! I’ll do my best. Thank you for all the messages!”
The post has attracted thousands of likes and hundreds of comments, the most prominent of which came from Daizen Maeda – who was his club teammate in Japan and will play alongside him for Celtic.
Maeda’s message was simple but friendly, stating to his friend: “I’m waiting for you ✌️”
Like Maeda, Iwata has previously worked with Ange Postecoglou, who signed him from Oita Trinita in the months prior to his eventual move to Glasgow in the summer of 2021.
Having now signed him twice, Postecoglou is clearly a big fan of the player, who reportedly arrives for a bargain fee of less than £1m.
Earlier, the Celtic boss cited Iwata’s commitment and versatility, as well has his form throughout 2022, as the primary reasons for bringing him to Scotland.
The 25-year-old is now expected to travel from Japan over the next week and immediately join Celtic training.
He will likely be gradually worked into match action given the Japanese season finished at the start of November and this period is effectively his pre-season.
In other news, Video: All 5 goals as Celtic youths fight back to thrash Rangers at Celtic Park.
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