Andy Halliday is baffled by what he is hearing about Kyogo Furuhashi after Celtic exit

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Kyogo Furuhashi’s exit from Celtic caused a bit of a stir.

From Kyogo’s decision to join Rennes to Celtic not bringing in another striker, it was the main talking point before, during and after the January transfer window.

Luckily, Celtic are 13 points clear at the top of the Premiership table and they already have the League Cup in hand, so it dampens everything slightly.

But, from now until the end of the season, everyone will find out just how much of an impact Kyogo’s exit will have on Brendan Rodgers’ team.

So far, it’s so good because Adam Idah can’t stop scoring and he also helped the champions put six goals past Dundee on Wednesday night in the rearranged Premiership fixture.

Say what you want about Kyogo leaving, one thing is for sure, he was outstanding for the club and many are grateful to Ange Postecoglou for bringing him to Glasgow.

But, amazingly enough, not everyone in green and white colours thinks that way.

Andy Halliday defends Kyogo Furuhashi after Celtic exit

When you have someone like Andy Halliday coming to Kyogo’s aid, then you know things are bad.

But it was suggested by a Celtic fan on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard that he ‘wasn’t a fan of Kyogo, especially this season’ and how he didn’t rate his goalscoring rate compared to Henrik Larsson.

Now, at the end of the day, if you compare anyone to the King of Kings, then they simply won’t be able to match up because it’s unfair.

But Halliday was on hand to defend Kyogo and how he proved to be an ‘excellent’ signing for the club.

“I didn’t think there were any of them out there,” responded Halliday to a Celtic fan saying he isn’t a fan of Kyogo.

Gordon Duncan made the point: “Kyogo was still the number one, that’s undeniable. He played nearly every game. He still scored a lot of goals this season. If you are in the realm of thinking Kyogo’s goal return wasn’t good enough over the piece, then I don’t think you will ever be pleased.”

Halliday added: “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.”

Kyogo’s record at Celtic

Kyogo’s Rennes debut didn’t go to plan, so it will be interesting to see how that story pans out for the rest of the campaign.

One thing is for sure, the story he wrote in Glasgow, under Postecoglou and then Rodgers, is something you will tell your grandkids in years to come.

From cup final goals to striking on eight occasions against Rangers, it was a joy to behold and he can rightfully call himself a Celtic legend, it’s just a shame he didn’t hit the 100 mark.