Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has spoken out on the club’s decision to sign Yuki Kobayashi to a five-year deal, saying that the club has been keeping tabs on Kobayashi for some time.

The acquisition of the defender was confirmed earlier today, marking yet another bold move by the defending champions.

Postecoglou couldn’t be happier to have him on board, as he brings quality to a position where it has been lacking.

The Celtic manager said:

“We’re really pleased. Yuki is someone that we’ve been following for a while and it was a great opportunity to bring him in. He’s a left-sided centre-back, and they’re hard to find.

“He’s still young but he’s already had three of four years of senior experience and he’s really keen to come across and test himself in Europe. I think we saw last year that bringing in guys nice and early gives us the opportunity to bed them in, in that six-month period of the second half of the season, and we’re really looking forward to having him as part of the group.

“He’s at a really good age where he’s already had some great experience but with great potential ahead of him. He’s a good young man who wants to have a real crack at it here in Europe and for us it’s a great opportunity to invest in a young player again.”

The majority of Celtic fans probably haven’t seen Kobayashi play before, but today is still a big deal. Coach Postecoglou has made it obvious that his team will keep becoming better and stronger.

There’s no denying that the manager has been trying to get a left-sided defender for some time, and I’ve heard from a number of fans who echo that sentiment.

Kobayashi’s arrival has been met with high expectations because of his potential to swiftly contend for a starting berth alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt.

However, at just 22 years old, he still has time to make an impression without undue stress.