Celtic have made their third signing ahead of the January transfer window opening in midfielder Tomoki Iwata.

The Japanese international was previously on the books of Yokohama F Marinos and featured under Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou after he signed him when he was in charge of the club. 

It was confirmed on the Scottish champions' official website that the 25-year-old has signed initially on loan with a compulsory purchase clause installed in the deal.

This is similar to the situation surrounding Daizen Maeda when he first joined the club.

He played 42 times in the season that has just concluded, scoring two goals and providing two assists as Yokohama F Marinos won the league.

Iwata was awarded the J-League Player of the Year award for his efforts.

While playing a lot as a central defensive midfielder, the 25-year-old has also featured as a centre-back, meaning he will provide the Parkhead side with a multitude of options.

Data from Wyscout shows that in 2022 per 90 minutes, he averaged the second-highest passes of the whole Marinos squad with 71.34.

His overall passing accuracy rate was also 91.56 per cent for the season.

In terms of defensive work, he won 68.72 per cent of his duels per match across the calendar year.

Iwata has been capped for Japan four times but was not part of the recent squad for the World Cup in Qatar.

READ MORE: New Celtic signing Tomoki Iwata scouted: What will he bring?

Postecoglou clearly feels the Japan international can fulfil a variety of roles in his squad.

Speaking after the signing was confirmed, the Australian said: "We really are delighted to be bringing Tomoki to Celtic and I am sure he will be a player that our supporters will like.

“He is a versatile player who can operate in defence in midfield, a really committed footballer with some great attributes. He is at a great age for us where his career is on the right trajectory, but he already has a good level of experience.

“He has just had a brilliant season, he is very deserving of the accolade he has recently received as Japan’s Player of the Year and we are sure he can also bring this real high level of quality to our squad.”

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