Kyogo Furuhashi transfer news: Will Celtic miss Japan international forward and could Jota replace him?

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 is the top scorer in the Scottish Premiership since moving to the league. Plus, he has won eight major honours over three-and-a-half seasons.

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” 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 club from Rennes and fill the void that Kyogo leaves behind?

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 56 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 further behind.

How do Celtic replace him?

The simple 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 now the clubs are in a talk that would see the player move in the opposite direction to Kyogo.

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. While he might not be a direct replacement up-front for Kyogo, Rodgers is not short of options in that central area with Adam Idah back at the club and Daizen Maeda able to fill that role too.

Plus, there’s little doubt supporters would love to see “Jota on the wing” at Celtic Park once again.

Celtic hold Barry talks with Villa but club reluctant to sell

Latest from Sky Sports News’ Anthony Joseph and Lyall Thomas:

Celtic have held initial talks over a possible deal for winger Louie Barry – but Aston Villa remain reluctant to sell the player and have offered him a new contract.

Villa prefer to keep Barry and loan him out for his development – and he has interest from most of the Championship and several clubs abroad.

The 21-year-old was recalled from his loan at Stockport County earlier this month, for Unai Emery to take a closer look and assess his readiness for first-team football.

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