Kyog Furuhashi transfer news: Will Celtic miss Japan international striker and can Jota replace him? | Football news
When Kyogo Furuhashi joined Celtic in 2021, few would have recognized the name.
His manager at the time, Ange Postecoglou, said the Japanese international would “add something special” to the team. He didn’t make a mistake.
Just under four years later, Kyogo leaves as a fan favorite. He has been the top scorer in the Scottish Premiership since moving to the league. In addition, he won eight major awards over three and a half seasons.
The 30-year-old has signed a new four-year contract with the club in 2023, with boss Brendan Rodgers describing him as an “exciting” and “important” player. That new deal was signed a day after Jota left the club for Saudi Arabia – but could he instead return to the Rennes club and fill the void left by Kyogo?
Will Kyogo be missed?
The simple answer is yes. He scores goals, stretches defenses to create space for his teammates to score and is neat with the ball.
He’s scored 85 goals in all competitions, plus added 19 assists – but there’s a lot more to him than those numbers.
A total of 56 of those goals came in the league, a figure unmatched by any other player in the Scottish Premiership during that period. Amazingly, the striker – who is just 5ft 5in tall – scored 12 headers, also a league record, during his time in Glasgow.
He was at the top of the league rankings for shots on goal and quick penetration. Additionally, more than 17 percent of Celtic’s goals since the summer of 2021 have come via strikers. For context, Matt O’Riley and Daizen Maeda were second on that list for the Hoops – 10 percent behind.
How will Celtic replace him?
The simple answer could be a name familiar to Celtic fans. Iota.
He left Celtic £25m move to Saudi professional league Al Ittihad in 2023but things never went his way for the 25-year-old. Problems off the field resulted in the departure of the Portuguese player after a year in Rennes.
However, that didn’t go according to plan either, as Jota made only nine first-team appearances in France, and now the clubs are negotiating for the player to move in the opposite direction from Kyog.
He scored 15 goals and provided 12 assists during his final season at Celtic as they won the domestic treble. He loves the club and the fans love him. While he may not be a direct replacement for Kyoga, Rodgers has no shortage of options in that central area with Adam Idaho back at the club and Daizen Maeda also able to fill that role.
Besides, there’s no doubt that fans would love to see “Jota on the wing” at Celtic Park once more.
Celtic are holding Barry talks with Villa, but the club do not want to sell
The latest from Sky Sports News’ Anthony Joseph and Lyall Thomas:
Celtic they have held initial talks about a possible deal for the winger Louie Barry – but Aston Villa they are still reluctant to sell the player and have offered him a new contract.
Villa would prefer to keep Barry and loan him out for his development – and he has interest from most of the Championship and several overseas clubs.
The 21-year-old was recalled from his loan spell at Stockport County earlier this month, for Unai Emery to take a closer look and assess his fitness for first-team football.
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