Reo Hatate turns Celtic super agent as key role in transfer drive revealed

Daily Record

5 days ago

Shin Yamada has lifted the lid on the role the frontman played in his move to the Scottish champions
It broke Shin Yamada's heart having to say goodbye to his hometown club in Japan. But the hitman is convinced he'll find love again at Celtic.
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The frontman was in tears after his big send-off at Kawasaki Frontale with fans chanting his name and even holding up Scottish flags ahead of his £1.5m move to Glasgow.
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Yamada admitted it was an emotional experience that even left him wondering If he'd made the right call to move to the other side of the world.
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The feeling didn't last long though as he's always had his heart set in being a success abroad.
The 25-year-old got his first take of action for Celt's in Saturday's Como Cup penalty shootout win against Al Ahli – who beat Yamada's Kawasaki side in the Asian Champions League Final back in May.
A friendly victory couldn't be classed as revenge but the striker was delighted to bury the winning penalty having looked lively during his second half cameo.
Yamada is up and running and ready to throw himself into life at Celtic. He said: 'I am 25 now so I'm not really young any more.
'I wanted to challenge myself. I had options to stay in Japan as well but felt the decision I made was good for my career.
'Kawasaki Frontale is the club where I grew up. It's the club that took care of me since I was in their Academy and I always wanted to contribute to the club.
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'But I also had another dream I wanted to pursue for my career. It was sad for me to leave – but I had to make that decision.
'It was emotional for me. That is a love I really love but by coming to Celtic I believe I can improve myself more. That's why I made my decision.'
Yamada didn't take a blind leap of faith coming to Scotland. He's seen some of his fellow Japanese stars soar with Celts and he fancied getting on board.
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He revealed he was sold on the move after a chat with midfielder Reo Hatate and he's already got cracking with learning the lingo.
He said: 'The staff from at Celtic have told me some things. I have also done some research of my own.
'I have been speaking with Reo and the other guys. I had a video call with Reo before I came over and we had a good chat about everything.
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'He gave me some good recommendations. Having Daizen and Ina here as other Japanese players has also helped me. The club even has an excellent interpreter who has helped me on and off the pitch.
'I plan to learn English myself, having started studying in Japan.I will study more when I get to Scotland but at the moment the language seems very fast!'
Yamada insisted he's a quick learner though – on and off the park. He knows he's following in the footsteps of several Japanese smash hits with Celts but wants to be his own man.
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The frontman – who is part of his national squad – has admired the likes of Kyogo and Daizen Maeda at Parkhead.
But it's a Frontale legend he looks up to the most. Yamada broke into he first team towards the end of club hero Yu Kobayashi's 14 year stint in Kawasaki, in a period where his side secured promotion and merged as regular J-League winners and Asia Champions League competitors.
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Yamada picked up a lot from his mentor and he's hoping it pays dividends for the Hoops.
When asked about his own heroes, he said: 'There is player called Yu Kobayashi who played for Kawasaki.
'I used to watch him when I played for the academy. When I went to the top teams I used to watch him closely.
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'I liked him personally and also his mentality. He's one of the players I admired.'
Yamada got a taste for glory in the Asia Champions League – and he'd love a repeat in the European one.
Frontale charged all the way to the Final last season, beating top sides from China before running into big spending Al Ahli.
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It proved to be a step too far as Riyad Mahrez and co were too strong and lifted the trophy with a 2-0 win.
Yamada savoured the run though and he's determined to help Celts get to the group stages in Euro version.
The Hoops face a perilous play-off in less than a month and the striker admitted it would be special to stroll out against the cream of the continent.
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He said: 'Obviously the Champions League is something that I have admired. I have been dreaming of playing there.
'If the team is doing well in the tournament then that would be great. And if I can be involved in those great results then that would be something I would be individually grateful for.'
Yamada has his own dreams but he is determined to be a team player. It's early days for the attacker but the first impression was positive and he's out to impress more in the coming weeks.
The hitman just wants to play his part and he said: 'It's more about the collective of the team.
'I have high confidence I can score goals at that level but without my team-mates I cannot score so I need to improve my connections and communications with the rest of the team.
'That's what I need to improve quickly.'