Kyogo Furuhashi transfer news: Will Celtic miss Japan international forward and could Jota replace him?
Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi has joined Ligue 1 side Rennes in £10m deal; Japan international was keen to move to a club in one of Europe’s top five leagues; the 30-year-old had been a key player for the Hoops since arriving in the summer of 2021 under Ange Postecoglou
Monday 27 January 2025 14:56, UK
When Kyogo Furuhashi joined Celtic in 2021, few would have recognised the name.
His manager at the time, Ange Postecoglou, said the Japan international would "add something special" to the squad. He wasn't wrong.
Just under four years later, Kyogo departs as a fan favourite. He tops the goalscoring charts in the Scottish Premiership since moving to the league. Plus, he won eight major honours over three-and-a-half seasons.
- Kyogo departs Celtic in £10m Rennes switch
- Jota completes Celtic return
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The 30-year-old did sign a new four-year contract at the club in 2023, with boss Brendan Rodgers describing him as an "exciting, outstanding" and an "important" player.
That contract extension was signed one day after Jota left the club for Saudi Arabia in a £25m exit - but as fate would have it the Portuguese player ended up at Rennes, and has now swapped places with Kyogo in separate deals.
Will Kyogo be missed?
The simple answer is yes. He scores goals, stretches defences to create room for his teammates to score and is tidy on the ball.
He scored 85 goals in all competitions, plus added 19 assists - but there's much more to those numbers.
A total of 63 of those goals came in the league, and it was a figure that no other player could match in the Scottish Premiership over that period. Surprisingly, the forward - who is just 5ft 5in tall - scored 12 headers, also a league-high during his time in Glasgow.
He topped the league's charts for shots on target and fast breaks too. Plus, more than 17 per cent of Celtic's goals since the summer of 2021 came via the forward. For context, Matt O'Riley and Daizen Maeda were second on that list for the Hoops - 10 per cent and 38 goals further behind.
How do Celtic replace him?
Perhaps part of the answer could be a name the Celtic fans are familiar with. Jota.
He left Celtic for a £25m move to Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad in 2023, but things never really worked out for the 25-year-old. Off-field issues resulted in the Portuguese player leaving after a year to join Rennes.
However, that hasn't gone to plan either with Jota making just nine league appearances in France and has now moved in the opposite direction to Kyogo for around £8m.
He scored 15 goals and provided 12 assists during his last season at Celtic as they won a domestic treble. He loves the club and the fans love him.
Rodgers has confirmed he is also looking to sign a new striker during the final week of the transfer window, but for now there is little doubt supporters are looking forward to seeing "Jota on the wing" at Celtic Park once again.
Boyd: Kyogo exit will worry Celtic fans
Ex-Rangers striker Kris Boyd speaking on Sky Sports News:
"The one for me - and I think it would worry the Celtic fans - would be Kyogo leaving.
"He has been the difference in a lot of games this season and he scores big goals. I get the fact that he's probably getting to the stage of his career where he wants to have one last big move, maybe earn top dollar, but Celtic, they're not going to break their model for anyone and for them to get £10m is good business.
"But goal scorers are hard to come by and Kyogo definitely falls into that category."
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