Hyeon-gyu Oh is loving life in Turkey.
The striker did Celtic a favour by completing a €15 million move from Genk to Besiktas, 18 months on from leaving Glasgow for £4.5 million
Signed by Ange Postecoglou to replace Giorgos Giakoumakis in January 2023, Oh had a steady rate of goals, but never managed to establish himself as a starter.
The writing was on the wall for the South Korean international when Brendan Rodgers completed the signing of Adam Idah, and off to Belgium he went.
He has since gone from strength to strength, and just a fortnight into his time in Turkey, Oh is in dreamland.
Hyeon-gyu Oh: overrated or underrated?
Ex-Celtic man Hyeon-gyu Oh continues dream Besiktas start
Oh scored an overhead kick on his debut for the Istanbul giants, equalising in a 2-2 draw with Alanyaspor.
With the ‘Eagles’ sitting well behind in fifth place, a point was of no use – this weekend, they faced Istanbul neighbours Basaksehir, who sit just one place behind them.
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After Basaksehir took the lead, Oh equalised for the visitors with a composed finish in a one-vs-one with the keeper. Then, in the second-half, he provided an excellent backheel assist for Orkun Kokcu.
Highlights of the game, which Besiktas won 3-2, are available here, via Bein Sports:
Hyeon-gyu Oh continues his storming start at Besiktas… he looks a different player!
Speaking after the win, Oh said: “My first win at Beşiktaş is a very special joy. It was a tough match, but winning made me happy.
“We knew the importance of winning, so I’m very happy. I touched the ball on Orkun’s goal. Sometimes you don’t need to talk, you understand each other with your eyes.
“We understood each other very well. We showed that on the field. Orkun is a fantastic player. It’s great to play with him.
“The World Cup is approaching. I want to score many goals and be successful until then. Beşiktaş is my destiny. I really wanted to come here. It happened. I am very happy with every day I spend here.”
Should Celtic have held on to Hyeon-gyu Oh?
Everyone is always an expert with the benefit of hindsight, but it certainly looks like Oh could’ve done with more playing time at Celtic.
But was it simply a case of right player, wrong time? Idah may not have pulled up any trees after being signed permanently, but his goals during his loan spell were vital for Celtic’s push for a league and cup double.
Postecoglou was a huge fan of the Korean striker, starting him at Ibrox in May 2023. In that game, Oh hit the post, in what could be a sliding doors moment in his career.
Linked with Premier League clubs prior to joining Besiktas, we could be seeing more of him in the near future.
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