Ange Postecoglou in Celtic transfer wink as experience proves key in beating rivals to Asian stars

Ange Postecoglou says Celtic have stolen a march on rival clubs when it comes to signing Asia’s top talent.

The Parkhead gaffer has already snared Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate, Tomoki Iwata, Yuki Kobayashi and Hyeon-gyu Oh from Japan and South Korea respectively. And Postecoglou says their positive experience in Glasgow will help Celtic entice more stars from the Far East. Also, the Hoops boss is convinced the club’s summer tour in Asia - which was confirmed last week - will only broaden their reach when it comes to attracting the best players from that part of the world.

The likes of Hearts and Motherwell signed players from Japan this season after seeing the success Celtic had exploring that market. And Hibs’ new director of football, Brian McDermott, has vowed to find the new Kyogo in his role at Easter Road. But Postecoglou has warned other clubs that if they want to pluck top players from Japan in particular - Celtic will be ahead of them in the queue.

The manager, who spent three years in the J-League with Yokohama Marinos before arriving in Scotland, was asked if he has a head start in that department and said: “I think it definitely helps us.

“Not just because we are signing players and giving them an opportunity. But the players’ experiences here help.

“The best feedback you can get in life is from a person who is already involved. All the players who have come here have appreciated how welcoming everyone is and how the club has looked after them.

“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