Ko Itakura has spent two seasons on loan from Man City at Groningen in the Eredivisie and has developed into a strong ball-playing, left-sided centre-back, which is what Celtic need.
Ko is 6ft 1, 24-years-old and right-footed. He came up through the youth system of what is now Japan’s strongest club side, Kawasaki Frontale, making his debut in 2016.
However, after failing to nail down a starting place, he was sent out on loan to Vegalta Sendai where he thrived, earning himself a move to Man City. Once at City, he was immediately sent out on loan for the 19/20 season and again for the 20/21 season to Groningen. At Groningen, he would develop into one of the Eredivisie’s top centre-backs, being strong both on the ball and defensively.
Itakura has played across the three centre-back positions. Although primarily he has played as the left-sided centre-back in a four-man defence, he also has experience playing in a back three. His heat map from last season demonstrates how comfortable he is across the defence.
Itakura only has one year left on his deal in Manchester so it is within Celtic’s means to sign him. I believe he is a starting level CB for Celtic, whom should be signed if possible. This is an opinion I will attempt to justify through reviewing his stats.
He is a Japanese international and will represent the country at the Olympics so will not be available until mid-August. However, he should be seen as a long-term investment for the squad.
Defensive Radar
Maximum and minimum data for radars comes from Wyscout’s data of SPFL Premiership centre-backs that started at least 10 games in season 20/21.
Ko is a competent Eredivisie central defender, as demonstrated by a number of data points. Although he was not involved in many defensive duels, his success rate was still relatively high.
He recorded a high number of PAdj interceptions, which indicates intelligent positioning. The running theme with Celtic linked centre-backs so far this summer is that they are on the shorter side, like Vuskovic and Starfelt, but are at home on the ball. Ko is no different at 6ft 1inches, and returns a relatively low aerial duel success rate. It’s clear Celtic are looking for defenders that can play football rather than old fashioned defenders, which is positive.
Comparison
Ajer and Vuskovic have a similar radar to Itakura in recording low fouls and defensive action numbers due to playing in good sides. Ko and Vuskovic are different from Ajer, as they are more mobile, which I think is a planned part of Ange’s set up.
This will allow centre-backs to recover more easily if possession is lost close to goal and prevent balls in behind, something which can be an issue with the high line Ange likes to play. As aforementioned, it looks like Celtic have a coherent scouting process for centre-backs. There may be some trade-offs with their aerial and physical presences, but Ange’s team is more football-focused so we should play to the strengths he desires.
On the ball radar
Ko, if signed, will provide very good distribution from defence. His accuracy across different passing types is very impressive with 91.54% passing accuracy overall. That would put him near the top of the table compared to Scottish Premiership central defenders.
He moves the ball forward well with a strong forward passing accuracy of 78% which is similar to Celtic’s current starting centre-backs. He is also playing in a higher-quality league with a team that doesn’t dominate possession to the same degree Celtic do.
Much like Vuskovic and Starfelt, Ko doesn’t dribble out from the back like Ajer, preferring to focus on passing it out. In keeping with his recruitment of centre-backs, it looks like Ange isn’t interested in their attributes to carry the ball, but instead in their distribution.
Comparison
Vuskovic and Itakura are very similar stylistically: strong passers that don’t progress the ball by carrying it into midfield. Itakura has more experience at 24, operating in a stronger league (Eredivisie) and having played international football. Itakura also edges out Vuskovic defensively, although at only 19 the difference is minimal.
On the ball, Vuskovic dominates and is stronger than Itakura in most categories. Although in a lower quality league, and at such a tender age - that's impressive. Comparing both Vuskovic and Itakura to Ajer, it’s clear to see that Ajer provides ball progression via dribbling and progressive runs, whereas Ko and Vuskovic do not.
Celtic Comparison
Defensively we can see Itakura is stronger than Welsh in base duel numbers. However, he is behind most of the others in these metrics. These metrics would likely rise if he came to a dominant Celtic side in a weaker league. Low numbers are likely attributed to a lower physical profile than Celtic have had in the past.
These defensive metrics show Itakura’s defensive strengths and highlight his mobility and positioning as a defender. He is able to intercept dangerous passes due to his mobility. These will be important attributes to have in Ange’s system which will utilise a high line.
Itakura’s key strength is on the ball being a distributor at the team’s base. With a good range of passing, he would be able to help Celtic move forward in attack quicker and keep the opposition guessing as to where he might play it, whether he goes short or long. Ange’s sides do prefer short passing however they also like long diagonals to try and break in behind from wide areas.
Itakura does bring the ball out from the back more than most of the Celtic centre-backs, however, it is some way off the frequency of which Ajer attempts to. He can dribble out if in trouble but would prefer to distribute to full-backs or the midfield. Forward passing volumes coupled with strong accuracy would increase coming into a weaker league playing in a more dominant side.
Conclusion
Itakura fits what I believe Ange wants from his central defenders. He is excellent at playing out from the back and is mobile to aid recovery in the defensive phase.
He has played in a stronger league and has played for Japan so will bring a lot of experience to the squad if signed. Best of all, he is in the last year of his contract so could be picked up for a nominal fee within Celtic’s price range. The big downside is the Olympics commitment which would rule him out until mid-August. However, I think it would be a strong long-term signing.
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