Hayato Inamura, born on 6 May 2002 (age 24), is a Japanese central defender contracted to Celtic and currently on loan at FC Tokyo. Celtic signed him from Albirex Niigata in July 2025 for around £250,000, a modest fee in modern terms and one that reflected a player still building his senior career.
Albirex Niigata remains the club that has shaped most of his story so far. Across two seasons there, Inamura made 28 league appearances and scored once, with his most productive spell coming in 2025 when he played 16 league matches and got his first league goal. That was the body of work which brought him to Celtic’s attention.
The move to Celtic has not yet made him a familiar face in Glasgow. Instead, his development has continued back in Japan with FC Tokyo, where he has remained involved in the first-team picture. He has made 26 appearances across all competitions for the club, including J1 League and J1 100 Year Vision League football, with one goal.
Inamura wears squad number 17 and has a current market value of around £383,000, according to Transfermarkt. His career is still at an early stage: shaped by Albirex, briefly tied to Celtic, and now being tested through regular football at FC Tokyo.
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