Shin Yamada is hoping to grow from a “difficult situation” at Celtic after completing his move to Oud-Heverlee Leuven.
The striker made 11 appearances for Celtic, the vast majority of which were from the bench. He didn’t score in any of them.
After a productive loan to Prussia Munster for the second half of the campaign, he has now earned a full campaign in the Belgian Pro League.
Speaking after completing his move, he was asked about his experience at Celtic.
🆕 A new loan for Shin.
Instead of selling, Celtic opt to keep him on the books…
Shin Yamada: I gained experience at Celtic
Yamada told the official OHL media channels: “It was a difficult experience for me last season.
“But I gained experience with many players and managers, so it was a positive experience.
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“I feel this club is right for me, and I can’t wait to start playing for Leuven.
“Leuven told me about the project for me, and it meant a lot to me. I think their football style will be a fit for me.”
Yamada scored in Celtic’s 1-1 friendly draw with Shelbourne last week, equalising from the spot with the last kick of the game.
He scored three goals in 14 league appearances in Germany, as his side were relegated from the 2. Bundesliga.
Yamada enjoyed an impressive 2024 for Kawasaki Frontale as they made the final of the AFC Champions League, but was struggling for starts when he joined the Hoops.
He was labelled a “club signing” by Brendan Rodgers upon his arrival in Glasgow, just as Hayato Inamura was a fortnight earlier.
Both struggled to make an impact on the first team.
Defeat for Celtic in Portugal! 🚨🤔🍀
What did you make of that Celtic fans? Comment below…👇
Celtic and the Japanese market
Celtic owe their current involvement in the Japanese market to Ange Postecoglou, who looked to have cracked the code with his signings in the 2021-22 season.
Not only were Kyogo, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda instantly effective players, but they were also incredible value for money.
Since then, there has been the functional but unremarkable signing of Tomoki Iwata and the failed project of Yuki Kobayashi.
Inamura and Yamada unfortunately look like falling into that category, though through no fault of their own given the shambles surrounding their signings.
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