BBC Sports Celtic already have a “superb” Kyogo replacement and it’s not Adam Idah.
The Celtic board was not hesitant to spend money during the summer transfer window to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ playing roster for the 2024/25 season. The Hoops were struck a blow in the off-season, however, when Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion signed Matt O’Riley on a permanent deal.
Mikey Johnston, Hyeon-gyu Oh, Tomoki Iwata, and Saed Haksabanovic were among the other players who were allowed to move on from Parkhead, to make way for new signings to come through the door.
The summer’s biggest signing was Arne Engels from Augsburg. He was brought in from the Bundesliga for a club record sum of £11 million, demonstrating the board’s willingness to back Rodgers in the market. Engels was not the only high-profile addition; Auston Trusty was brought in from Sheffield United for £6 million, while Norwich City agreed to pay up to £9.5 million to bring Adam Idah back to the club.
The Irish marksman was signed on a permanent deal to come in and compete with Kyogo Furuhashi for a starting spot, as the Japan international’s output has declined in recent years.
Kyogo Furuhashi’s declining form
Under Ange Postecoglou in 2022/23, the former Vissel Kobe player created a name for himself in Glasgow, scoring 27 goals in 36 Scottish Premiership outings. The excellent centre-forward only missed 16 ‘great opportunities’ and averaged a goal per 86 minutes in the division, demonstrating that he provided an extremely reliable source of goals for the Australian head coach.
Despite Rodgers’ return to Parkhead in the summer of 2023, Kyogo has struggled to replicate his previous form in front of goal. In the 2023/24 season, he only scored 14 goals in 38 appearances in the Scottish top-flight. However, this was not due to a lack of service, as the Japan international missed 24 ‘big chances’.
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