da prosport bet： When joining Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic last July, the Parkhead faithful would have been forgiven for not being overly aware of the Bhoys’ new £4.6m signing Kyogo Furuhashi.
da brwin： Indeed, having never played outside of Japan, and having made just 12 appearances for his national team, he was more than likely a name that very few had even heard of – let alone been aware of his ability – outside of his homeland.
However, just seven months down the line, Kyogo is not only a household name in Scotland – Japanese flags fly outside of pubs, restaurants and bars in and around Glasgow as a result of his popularity, while Premier League clubs are already reported to be taking an interest in the £18k-per-week hitman.
It is not difficult to see why this is the case. Over the centre-forward’s 26 appearances for the Bhoys, he has already bagged 16 goals and provided his team-mates with five assists. Many of these goal contributions have been crucial for the Bhoys, such as the 27-year-old’s match-winning brace in the Scottish League Cup final in December.
As a result of this breathtaking form, the striker’s Transfermarkt valuation has also dramatically increased since being thrown into the Celtic spotlight, jumping from £1.8m at the time of his arrival to £4.95m today – a 175% rise in just seven months.
However, considering just how important Kyogo has become to this Hoops team it would likely take an offer well into eight digits for Celtic to even consider parting with the forward in the summer transfer window.
Either way, there is only one man the Bhoys have to thank for the discovery of the player who John Hartson dubbed a “special” talent – Ange Postecoglou.
Indeed, the 56-year-old’s knowledge of untapped markets has already borne significant fruit for Celtic, with the likes of Reo Hatate and Liel Abada also thriving after moves to Parkhead. However, it is undeniably the 27-year-old Japanese forward who has proven to be the most valuable diamond in the rough for the Bhoys so far this season.
In other news – £6.5m down the drain: Shocking £18k-p/w “problem” has been rinsing Celtic for 79 weeks