Andy Halliday has weighed in on Kyogo Furuhashi’s departure from Celtic during, disagreeing with the general consensus among some Hoops supporters regarding the Japanese forward.
Furuhashi, who was a key figure in Celtic’s attacking line, made a surprise move to French side Rennes during the January transfer window. The transfer came as a shock to many fans, given his impact at the club since arriving in 2021.
Brendan Rodgers was honest with fans after the move, revealing that the forward was keen to take on a new challenge, and the club were aware of that.
The striker’s stats speak for themselves having scored over 80 goals in 165 appearances for Celtic.
Halliday mentioned that the loss of Kyogo could damage Celtic’s current run and harm their options up front: (Clyde Super Scoreboard)
“I think Celtic are weaker because, Kyogo has left, and they haven’t replaced Kyogo. If everyone stays fit, from now until the end of the season, I don’t think they have a huge issue, in terms of a lack of quality.
“I wish I agreed with you (on Kyogo not being good enough). It’s not just one goal every two games. It’s the amount of big goals he scored. European goals and goals in the Glasgow derby. I thought he was a fantastic signing for Celtic. £5 million they got for him. They got an excellent three and a half years. I certainly rated him, that’s for sure.”
Currently, Celtic have adapted well with life without their former star man. The Parkhead side have scored 9 goals over their last 2 league fixtures, with Diazen Maeda finding the net 3 times in his last two games.
Prior to Kyogo’s departure there was small whispers of doubt surrounding the capabilities of big money signing- Adam Idah. However, since Kyogo has left, the Irishman has found some form scoring 4 goals in his last 3 games in all competitions.
