Ange Postecoglou hopes that Celtic’s pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea will help swell the club’s fanbase in the Far East and allow the cinch Premiership champions-in-waiting to capitalise on increased interest in the team.
The Greek-Australian, who moved to Scotland from Yokohama F. Marinos in the summer of 2021, has recruited heavily from the Japanese market during his four transfer windows in charge at Parkhead, while South Korea internationalist Hyeon-gyu Oh was brought to the club in January.
Celtic – who can seal back-to-back titles with a point at Tynecastle this afternoon – announced earlier this week that the squad will embark on a summer tour in the two Asian nations and Postecoglou is looking forward to getting reacquainted with a part of the world that he knows well.
“I’m delighted with it for personal reasons,” he said. “I was delighted with the Australia trip [last summer] and I am delighted with a Japan trip. Obviously I spent four years there and knowing the country really well and a lot of people there, it’s great.
“I think the more important thing is that this football club gets to broaden its reach. Obviously with our recruiting in the last 18 months or so, mainly in Japan but also in Korea, now there is great interest in our football club.
“We want that to grow. We want to create millions more Celtic supporters and I think our presence there, I know in Japan in particular but in Korea as well, will be greatly appreciated.
“We will put back in as much as we get from these trips by giving the opportunity to show people just how much we appreciate their support in these countries. And we will also give back to them in terms of developing their footballers and giving them new experiences as well.
“I’m really looking forward to it, it will be a great trip. They have fantastic facilities, fantastic support, and great teams to play against. I think the players will enjoy it as well.”
Pretty much all of Postecoglou’s Asian recruits have been a success since making the move to Glasgow and there is little doubt that the Celtic manager is finding value in a market that is typically overlooked by Scottish clubs.
He is confident in his ability to keep unearthing gems in the Far East and believes that the examples set by the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate will help to convince others to follow in their footsteps.
“I think it definitely helps,” Postecoglou added. “Not just because we are signing players and giving them an opportunity, but the players’ experiences help.
“The best feedback you can get in life is from a person who is involved. All the players who have come here have appreciated how welcoming everyone has been and how the club has looked after them, and how they have enjoyed their time in the city and how the supporters have embraced them.
“That is better ammunition for us in terms of selling who we are, than us just trying to tell people what we can provide. It’s coming straight from the people involved and I think that’s been tremendously helpful for us.
“It’s a market that will become more and more competitive, no doubt. It already is competitive. So having some trust there from people is enormously helpful for us.”
