Just a year on, it looks like Kyogo Furuhashi could be heading back to Celtic.
Martin O’Neill apparently wants Kyogo as his first attacking reinforcement since returning, with the club negotiating a loan move from Championship side Birmingham City.
It’s coming up to exactly a year since the night of Celtic’s Champions League win over Young Boys, when the news of the striker’s imminent departure emerged shortly after the final whistle.
Brendan Rodgers later revealed that Kyogo’s intention to leave had been clear for months, and it also surfaced that Jota was returning to Celtic Park in his place.
Kyogo is returning to Glasgow with his tail firmly between his legs – so just how has it gone so badly wrong for him since his departure?
Kyogo Furuhashi back to Celtic… initial thoughts?
Inside Kyogo Furuhashi’s post-Celtic nightmare
Ill-fated move to Rennes
Kyogo joined Ligue 1 side Rennes for €12 million, becoming one of the oldest players to ever make a first-time move to a big five league for an eight-figure fee.
The week of Kyogo’s arrival, Rennes sacked manager Jorge Sampaoli. His replacement, Habib Beye, started him against Strasbourg the following weekend.
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This was to be his only start for the club. He would make five more brief substitute appearances, but fell behind Arnaud Kalimuendo and even teenager Mohamed Meite in the pecking order.
Kyogo’s agent made it clear that he had to move on that summer, and move on he did – to Chris Davies’ Birmingham City.
A surprise move to Birmingham City
Linking up with ex-Hoops teammate Tomoki Iwata, Kyogo was the showpiece signing of the Blues’ free-spending summer haul after their promotion to the Championship.
He made his debut on the opening day of the league season against Ipswich, scoring in the League Cup against Sheffield United a few days later.
In 22 Championship appearances since, Kyogo hasn’t scored a single goal. That’s despite 12 missed chances, and 50 shots in total.
In terms of Martin O’Neill’s favourite metric, he has returned no goals from an expected total of 4.91. Underperformance of this level is almost unheard of.
Kyogo went viral for a miss against Southampton a few months back, and won’t want to remember his first six months of this season.
Let us know!
And now… a move back to Celtic?
With O’Neill reportedly ready to offer him a way out of Birmingham, Kyogo’s Hoops return will undoubtedly be questioned by some, given how his 2025 went.
With his place in Japan’s 2026 World Cup squad in jeopardy, he looks at real risk of missing out on what could be his final opportunity to play at the sport’s biggest tournament.
But from Celtic’s perspective, there is a title to win, and Kyogo has a proven track record of scoring goals that win titles.
If there’s any recent Celtic striker who can’t be written off, it’s Kyogo Furuhashi.
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