Celtic linked with FC Copenhagen’s Japanese international defender
Is Junnosuke Suzuki the man Celtic should be targeting? One detail of his game to me suggests that he’s not going to be right for Martin O’Neill’s team…
Celtic have been linked with yet another move for reported summer target Junnosuke Suzuki, with a January bid said to be on the cards.
Japanese International Suzuki who plays for Danish top flight side FC Copenhagen is said to have impressed Celtic scouts, and a revived bid could see the club attempt to bring the 23 year old 12 times capped player to Glasgow in a bid to strengthen our weak defensive options.
Suzuki is not a player most of us know well, so a dive into his career story so far gives us some insights into his overall ability. The 23 year old joined Copenhagen in 2025 on a five year deal from J1 side Shonan Bellmare.
Suzuki has made a total of 55 appearances in that period, and was selected in the Samurai Blues 26 man squad for the 2026 World Cup finals suggesting that he is a player of notable ability.
During his career in his homeland, Suzuki who started his career as a defensive midfielder initially struggled to impress, but a move to centre back has seen him flourish into a central defender of great potential.
The change of position was beneficial for Suzuki, as in April 2025 he was named as the best centre-back under 25 years old in the J1 League by the International Centre for Sports Studies, showing how much he had improved as a footballer.
In terms of his style of play, at 5ft 11 inches, Suzuki isn’t the tallest of centre backs, and according to several scouting reports one of his weaknesses is his lack of aerial ability.
One report I read states that Suzuki is a very good progressive ball-carrier and passer, impactful in the build-up phase. Main concerns are the lack of aerial presence and high amount of fouls and resulting yellow cards.
That’s enough to rule him out in my opinion due to the rough and tumble of the Scottish game which has seen more experienced defenders than Suzuki struggle in our football.
What we need is a strong robust 6ft plus centre back preferably with a bit of pace, and Suzuki doesn’t fit that criteria.
In fact while reading the above he reminded me of Stephen Welsh, who never quite made it at Celtic but was absolutely outstanding on loan at Motherwell last season, broke into the Scotland set-up and got a move to Swansea in the summer where he is a star performer.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
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