Paddy McCourt predicts £20m+ profit for Celtic on "breathtaking talent"

By John McGinley

August 15, 2021

Paddy McCourt has been blown away by the impact of Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi and reckons he will be worth tens of millions of pounds in short order.

Furuhashi made the move to the Bhoys from Vissel Kobe for a fee under £5m.

He already looks a bargain for that kind of money, scoring five goals in his first five appearances for the Bhoys.

His overall play has also been outstanding away from the goals. Ange Postecoglou has found a diamond and it’s Celtic set to benefit.

McCourt reckons the Bhoys are set to make a £20m+ profit on the player if they end up selling him down the line.

Speaking to The Sunday Post, the former Celtic attacker said: “It’s obvious the club has signed a breathtaking talent. I don’t think I’ve been as excited about a Celtic player, as I am about him, in a long, long time.

“The club bought him for around £4m. I’d say he’ll be worth in the region of £25-30m mark in less than two years. He’s at a good age, and his name is going to spread around Europe quite quickly.

“Credit to Ange Postecoglou. He clearly knew about the player from his own time managing in Japan, and told the club to go and get him. It shows the manager has an eye for talent, and also quickly identified exactly what was needed after working with the squad for a week or so.

“The board has backed him well so far in the transfer market, and need to continue to do so.”

If it was up to me, we’d be keeping Kyogo forever. I love him. I never want him to leave Glasgow!

However, McCourt’s comments are realistic in the sense that if the Japanese talent catches fire, clubs will want to sign him. He’s only 26, so is in the peak of his career. A season or two in Scotland could genuinely have clubs in cash-rich leagues eager to land him.

There’s a long way to go though. He’s barely arrived in the country. He’s still hunting for furniture for goodness sake. So let’s not get carried away. But did I mention I love him?

In all seriousness, the big thing I want to see from Furuhashi now is consistency over a long period. If he’s still producing this kind of form into the winter months then we can truly herald him as one of the signings of the decade.

In other news, Ange Postecoglou issues update on Christopher Jullien Celtic return.