No surprise about Naka
Tokyo, February 2, 2007: When a club feels obliged to deny something on its official website, you know it must be serious.
That was the case this week with Celtic and Shunsuke Nakamura.
“Naka NOT on the move,” read a headline on celticfc.net on Tuesday, January 30, the day before the transfer window closed.
“This story is absolute nonsense,” said the “Shunmeister.”
“I am very happy at Celtic and I am very much looking forward to all the challenges which lie ahead at the club.”
The two-paragraph article was carried to deny “a story doing the rounds on the Internet” claiming he would be leaving Celtic this summer to return to the J.League.
A day after the transfer window closed I had a long chat with a J.League insider about the prospect of Nakamura returning to Japan, and he could not believe it either. Not just yet, anyway.
After all, why should Shunsuke be thinking about coming home when he has finally found his place in Europe, a level at which he can shine?
Playing for a big club in a small league, Nakamura has the time and the space to weave his magic on a weekly basis. With this has come the confidence to express himself, and his manager, Gordon Strachan, is never slow to praise him to the heavens.
So when he plays against Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League, and soon against Milan, the former Marinos schemer feels he can do anything with a swish of that left foot. Kaka, in fact, has some very interesting things to say about Celtic in general and Nakamura in particular on uefa.com, looking ahead to the Celtic-Milan clash.
As I said before, Shunsuke has found his perfect level. He can enjoy his football at a famous club with a massive worldwide following, he is one of the brightest stars in the Scottish Premier League, and he has the Champions League to look forward to.
Considering his form and his eye-catching goals against Manchester United, I was a little surprised there were no stories linking Shunsuke to a move to England or Spain during the transfer window.
Unless the bigger leagues feel he has found his level, too.
ends
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