New Report Suggests Celtic Missed Out On Summer Target

The Athletic have reported that Celtic missed out on the signing of Japanese midfielder Ao Tanaka, who has opted to join Leeds United from Fortuna Düsseldorf in a deal worth around £3.4 million.

The 25-year-old was reportedly on the radar of several clubs, with Celtic among the sides keen to secure his services following their success with Japanese signings in recent years.

Despite Celtic’s ability to offer Tanaka Champions League football, the midfielder chose to head to Elland Road, seeing Leeds as the ideal next step in his career. Leeds, currently in the Championship, also beat competition from clubs like newly promoted Serie A side Como 1907, which has made several high-profile signings this summer, including Raphael Varane and Andrea Belotti.

Tanaka has earned a strong reputation since his early days with Kawasaki Frontale in Japan, where he won the J.League Rookie of the Year Award in 2019. His move to Fortuna Düsseldorf in 2021 saw him adapt well to European football and his performances in Germany’s 2. Bundesliga, combined with his international experience, made him an attractive prospect for several clubs.

On the international stage, Tanaka played a pivotal role for Japan in the 2022 World Cup, scoring the decisive goal in a 2-1 victory over Spain that helped Japan reach the knockout stages. His international pedigree and versatility in midfield would have made him a valuable addition to Celtic’s squad.

For Celtic, missing out on Tanaka represents a rare setback in recruiting Japanese talent, which has been a successful strategy in recent seasons. However, the Scottish champions will now need to look elsewhere to bolster their midfield options as they focus on their domestic and European campaigns.

Site Opinion

This could be seen as a real blow for Celtic if they went hard on the player. It’s news to many, with no serious reports suggesting they were interested before The Athletic, so it might be more casual interest that wasn’t taken further.

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers will likely feel pretty content with his squad’s depth after a busy transfer window. The club’s late moves to secure talents like Arne Engels, Luke McCowan, and Auston Trusty have deepened the squad, while Alex Valle adds healthy competition for Greg Taylor at left-back. It’s a decent window, and fans will doubtless be happy, even with today’s news.

That said, no transfer window is perfect, and targets always slip through the net. Celtic’s attempt to land Lazio winger Gustav Isaksen didn’t pan out, but that’s just the nature of the game. Still, with the strength of the current squad, Rodgers will be confident that his side has enough quality and depth to keep pushing for silverware.