In the preseason, 20-year-old defender Jarell Quansah got the start, and there was no day to see 26-year-old defender Nathaniel Phillips.
This season, he fell from the fifth spot in the pecking order as well, and there was a possibility that he would not even make the bench, not even for cup competitions.
Several clubs, mainly in the Championship, were interested in the center back, who was looking for an opportunity to play, but the transfer did not go through and time passed until just before the deadline, when a six-month loan to Scottish powerhouse Celtic was decided.
He is expected to replace the injured defenders at the club, which also has a number of Japanese players such as Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate, and Daisuke Maeda.
The 26-year-old center back, who cannot hide his excitement about the new challenge in Glasgow, also mentioned the other side of the transfer, saying that he was attracted by the team’s mentality.
“I’m really excited. When I heard about the interest it was one that got me excited. There were a few other options that didn’t quite make me feel the same as this one did, so I was really keen to get it over the line and I’m delighted to be here now.”
“It’s such a huge club, the club’s aspirations, the level it competes at, the fact that they’re in the Champions League this year and the mentality of the club – they want to be winners in everything they do.”
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Brendan Rodgers, in his second stint in charge of Celtic, also spoke of his expectations for the experience of the midfielder, who has also played for Liverpool and the Championship, where he himself was once a manager.
“It’s been well-documented that it’s an area of the team we needed to look at in the short-term due to a number of injuries we have experienced, and so we’re pleased that Nat will provide that defensive support in the squad.”
“Nat arrives with the experience of having played for another huge club in Liverpool and those experiences will serve him well here at Celtic.”
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