The Hogmanay celebrations arrived 13 hours early for Celtic fans as the club announced the signings of Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi across social media.
Speculation has been building over the last 48 hours that the deals were underway but no one was expecting all three players to be delivered before the transfer window opens.
Deals have been agreed, medicals passed for three players that have clearly got the stamp of Ange all over them- just like top scorer Kyogo Furuhashi.
Over a decade and more Celtic have been notoriously slow in transfer dealings with a busy final day the usual script, in August the club brought in Jota, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Cameron Carter-Vickers in a frantic 24 hour spell.
Postecoglou has been very confident about getting key business done early, he had identified the positions that needed strengthened and the players that could provide the right solutions.
Hibs at home on January 17 will be the first test for the new signings, until then the Celtic support can mull over the 12 months about to end and anticipate more Kyogoals and Angeball during 2022.
3?? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ?
Welcome our new #JapaneseBhoys! ????
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) December 31, 2021
Ange is so good his January transfer window starts in December.
?? Celtic clearly running Scottish Football as per.
Welcome to the disco lads ?? pic.twitter.com/UcZ8eChRx5
— The Celtic Exchange Podcast ? (@CeltExchange) December 31, 2021
What a difference this season, no last minute scrambling, no deadline swithering, hopefully sign of things to come in the summer and get players in and ready for European football
— williams deadly oar (@OarDeadly) December 31, 2021
Well done Celtic. Is this evidence that the corrosive era of Peter ‘Bonus’ Lawwell is over? I hope so. Good work Michael Nicholson.
No guarantees with new players, but it’s a statement of change to have them in on 31 Dec rather than 5 to midnight on 31 Jan.@CQN
— CG44 (@Ticketustastic) December 31, 2021
OH MY GODpic.twitter.com/pL2f0vQnZr
— Everything Celtic (@aboutceltic) December 31, 2021
Wow this is a great start I just ? jota & vickers get sorted permanently & also a couple more signings & I will be over the moon ?
— celtic jaime (official account) (@jaimelawson08) December 31, 2021
Told you Friday was a day for announcements ?
— m???ím??l?fth?nd (@hevalecraig) December 31, 2021
Thank you for saving 2021 ???????
— stuart braithwaite (@plasmatron) December 31, 2021
Happy new year indeed ???
— Natalie (@Natalie67D) December 31, 2021
Statement of intent Celtic! Fantastic
— Peter McDade (@PeterMcDade) December 31, 2021
Lovely jubbly
— G r e g g ® (@ham_n_egg) December 31, 2021
Well seen big Peter has retired.
— JClements (@JClementsWibble) December 31, 2021
I’ve been very critical of the celtic board in the past hopefully lessons learnt now.
Well done for backing the manager.
Aye aye at last a sense of togetherness and positivity, it seems at last that Celtic are acting as one club. Lesson learned? Hopefully this not the end of the January sales and I’m so looking forward to the second half of the season HH
Would be also good business to get jota and vickers signed up rather than loans both look very good players jota looks a real player and will get even better get them signed ASAP if we can afford them both will be a great addition to the team and future investments ie transfer fees.