Former Celtic man Chris Sutton has his Player of Year pick already

By Euan Davidson

November 6, 2021

It’s only November, but Celtic legend Chris Sutton believes Kyogo Furuhashi could be a “shoo-in” for Player of the Year honours.

Sutton knows all about scoring goals for Celtic. And he believes that Kyogo, brought in from Vissel Kobe during the summer, has already justified serious end-of-season talk.

Kyogo, who made an instant impact on his debut against Jablonec, has been one of Celtic’s best signings in recent memory. It’s genuinely hard to remember a more impactful signing straight from the off, and he proved his worth again in Hungary on Thursday.

Thus far, Kyogo has scored 11 goals and set up 3 more in all competitions. That’s 14 goal contributions in just 17 games [Transfermarkt]. Even when he isn’t directly involved in chances, his movement drags defenders out of position. Marking him seems a herculean task.

And Sutton has made a bold call about the new Bhoys striker. In his Daily Record column, Sutton wrote:

“For me, the Japanese striker is the best player in the country right now – by a mile.

“He was unplayable again in midweek. His movement is just incredible. The Ferencvaros defence didn’t know what to do with him.

“Kyogo could drop deep, play on the shoulder or spin in down the sides. The centre- backs would have needed neck braces on Friday morning.

“The way he took his goal was sheer class. That composure in the box is pretty rare and if he can keep up this form then he’ll be a shoo-in for the Player of the Year awards.”

Far too early to make predictions, but Celtic favourite Chris Sutton doesn’t mince his words

Again; Sutton is a Celtic hero that’s been there, seen it and done it. He played next to Henrik Larsson and John Hartson. He’s been in great Celtic sides, historically good ones.

So, when it comes to his take on the club’s fortunes, it’s easier to take him seriously than an Alex Rae or the like.

For sure, it’s hard to argue that Kyogo would be the leading name for Player of the Year honours. If the season stopped tomorrow, it’d probably be unanimous.

But Celtic would have a few candidates. Joe Hart has turned a quandary into something we don’t think about – the Celtic goalkeeper position. Cameron Carter-Vickers has helped to turn a leaky defence into a solid one. Callum McGregor has stepped up yet another level. Jota, Abada, Rogic; they’ve all been class.

Don’t forget Anthony Ralston, either.

In terms of stealing the headlines and consistently producing big moments for Celtic, though, Chris Sutton is bang-on. It’s Kyogo. He’s the star of this season thus far.

Here’s hoping he can keep up this positive momentum. If he can, what a signing Celtic have made.

Read more: BBC pundit believes Celtic difference in 21-22 is “night and day”