Kyogo felt the grass might be greener away from Celtic back in January when he signed for Rennes.
The striker fancied a crack at breaking into the Japan squad for coming tournaments and having been snubbed while with the Hoops, Kyogo told Brendan Rodgers he wanted an exit before the deadline.
That left Celtic short on frontmen which frustrated fans but landing £10million for a 30-year-old player was seen by some as good business, too good to turn down.
As has transpired, Daizen Maeda has picked up Kyogo’s slack up front and really challenged Adam Idah for his spot while Kyogo has struggled to establish himself with the Ligue 1 outfit since he arrived.
Kyogo could be told to ‘pack up and leave’ Rennes having only signed from Celtic in January
Just two appearances have come for Kyogo since he moved to France after the manager who signed him, Jorge Sampaoli, was sacked.
He is yet to win over new boss Habib Beye and one French journalist believes he could be at risk of a quickfire exit from the club as he is not in the new gaffer’s favour.
“Against MHSC, Beye started players who were already in place during the first half of the season,” wrote Justin Favre of Jeunesfooteux.
“What about Kyogo Furuhashi arriving this winter for 12 million euros from Celtic Glasgow, the 30-year-old Japanese striker has only played 83 minutes in Ligue 1 so far. Worse, he has been on the bench three times in the last four matches.
“A casting error? Not a choice by Habib Beye who prefers to rely on Arnaud Kalimuendo at centre forward, Furuhashi will have to be patient.
“In our opinion, it would not be surprising to see him pack up and leave during the next transfer window. The fact remains that some choices are enough to leave you with regrets.”
Kyogo Celtic stats before his exit in January
| 2021-25 Celtic stats |
| Matches played: 165 |
| Goals: 85 |
| Assists: 19 |
Kyogo has managed just 83 minutes of football since he joined Rennes which proves the grass definitely is NOT greener away from Celtic Park.
The player always had a chance at forcing his way into Hajime Moriyasu’s Japan squad while still at Celtic having done so in the past.
Goals in the Champions League would always give him the chance but his decision was seemingly already made back at the beginning of the season.
Kyogo left with supporters’ best wishes and it is somewhat sad to see him struggle elsewhere when he was Celtic’s number one striker pick under Rodgers.
There’s always time for the player to drag himself into Beye’s thoughts and we truly hope he does.
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