Celtic’s Summer Signings: Mid-season assessment – Kyogo

The Celtic Star

·16 January 2022

Celtic’s Summer Signings: Mid-season assessment – Kyogo

On 16 July 2021, Celtic signed Japanese international Kyogo Furuhashi for £4.6 million from J-League side Vissel Kobe, signing a four-year contract.

26-year-old Kyogo had won the J-League’s Outstanding Player award in the previous two years, and bagged three goals in six international games for Japan. The striker was also the current top scorer in Japanese football when he left Vissel Kobe having netted 14 goals in 20 appearances at the half way point of their season.

OneFootball Videos

19th December 2021; Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland; Scottish League Cup final, Hibernian versus Celtic: Kyogo Furuhashi of Celtic wears the trophy as a hat

On signing for Celtic, Kyogo told the media, as reported by Daily Record:

“My game is all about goals and assists – it will be the same for me at Celtic as it was at Vissel Kobe. I had a great send-off from the fans at the club. Kobe became my second home. But now it’s all about proving myself in a different culture and country. I can’t wait to get started.”

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou had this to say about his latest signing:

“We are delighted to bring Kyogo Furuhashi to Celtic. He is a player of real quality and clearly someone I know well. I think he will add something special to our squad and I am sure the way he plays will excite our supporters. We look forward to welcoming him to Celtic.”

He scored his first goal for the club on his first start, against Jablonec in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round on 5 August 2021. Three days later, Furuhashi scored his first Scottish Premiership goals, netting a 67-minute hat-trick in a 6–0 win against Dundee.

Kyogo has arguably been Celtic’s standout performer this season. In his 26 games so far since signing in the summer he has netted 16 goals and notched 5 assists. Not only are these stats impressive but it’s widely recognised that Kyogo is the man for the big occasion.

Our biggest game of the season so far, against Hibs in the Premier Sports League Cup final back on the 19th December, Kyogo showed he is a player who can be relied upon in the big games. He scored both goals as Celtic went on to win our first trophy of the season, coming back from 1-0 down in the process. He has also scored other vital goals domestically, including the only goal of the game against Hearts on 2nd December, and against Aberdeen at the start of October.

He has also been hugely impressive on the continent. During his 9 European appearances so far, in the Europa League qualifiers and in the group stages, Kyogo has bagged 5 goals in total including against Fenencvaros both home and away helping us secure our passage into the Europa Conference League.

Celtic v Dundee – Kyogo Furuhashi celebrates after scoring. Photo: Jane Barlow

Kyogo has been an overwhelming success since arriving on these shores. When he first came to Celtic, very little of us knew anything about the pacy attacker having spent his whole career in Japan and only recently having broke into the international set up. Luckily our new manager Ange Postecoglou knew the player extremely well from viewing him at close quarters while managing in the same league so knew exactly what he was getting when he paid over four and a half million on him.

He offers Celtic so much on the pitch and during the times he has been missing during the season with injury it has been clear how much we rely on him. Playing as the lone striker he offers so much to the team. His goals and assists speak for themselves but that isn’t all he offers. He is constantly on the move across the front line, dragging defenders out of position and never giving them a moment’s rest. He also mucks in when the opposition has the ball, pressing players in possession and tracking back when needed.

Photo: Steve Welsh

He is adored by the Celtic fans both for his contribution on the pitch and his personality off it. Although he speaks limited English, it’s clear to see he is also loved by his teammates. When not playing he has often been spotted encouraging his teammates from the sidelines and videos such as his Halloween prank, when trying to scare fellow Celtic players while getting interviewed, shows he is an important part of the dressing room.

Celtic fans all appreciate how privileged we are to have a player like Kyogo currently in our ranks. The sky is truly the limit for our Japanese star. Anyone who knows anything about football can see that he is a huge talent, I have even had fans of theRangers admit to me that he’s an excellent player, and that’s a tough crowd! I hope that we will see him ply his trade in the hoops for another few years to come. If he stays at Celtic Park long term there is definitely an opportunity to secure his position as a true club legend. Let’s hope he does!

Conall McGinty