Ange Postecoglou has revealed the influence that his success in the Asian market at Celtic will have on new signing Yang Min-hyeok.
With three players Postecoglou signed from Japan starting Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final win over Rangers at Hampden, the influence from Asia is still clear to see at Celtic, 17 months after the Australian departure for Tottenham Hotspur.
Postecoglou would later look to find hidden gems in South Korea, with Oh Hyeon-gyu joining in his third transfer window.
In the summer, the Australian continued this trend at Spurs signing Min-hyeok from Gangwon FC in South Korea, with the winger spending the last six months at his boyhood club.
Postecoglou said: (BeanymanSports), “Obviously we can’t register him until January 1st so he won’t train with us but I always feel it’s good, I had this experience at Celtic with the Asian lads we brought in, the Japanese and Korean boys, bringing them in before Christmas which allows them to settle in, especially off the field.
“That way by the time we get to register them in a couple of weeks they are already settled and can train fully.”
Ange certainly helped Asian players adapt to life at Celtic as quickly as possible, with the likes of Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda hitting the ground running, with Maeda scoring on his debut against Hibernian at Celtic Park in January 2022, and Hatate himself awarded Man of the Match in that game.
Postecoglou’s ability to help players make the move from Asia to the UK was crucial in securing 5 out of 6 domestic trophies during his time in Glasgow.
With Min-hyeok registering 12 goals and 5 assists in 38 games for Gangwon in 2024, he will certainly be one to watch under Postecoglou, with the Australian clearly intending to use him as a player who could be a difference maker for Tottenham in the second half of the season, like he did with a number of Asian players at Celtic.
