Nicolas Kuhn’s spell at Celtic was short-lived, but successful.
The 25-year-old joined Celtic during the January transfer window of 2024, winning four trophies and scoring 24 goals.
Kuhn left Celtic for Como this summer, in what some felt was the correct move because his form had dipped during the second half of the season, and the champions of Scotland banked just over £17 million for his talents.
The German isn’t the first high-profile player to leave in 2025 because Kyogo Furuhashi did the same, and their exits were discussed by Peter Grant, including the path they decided to go down.
- READ MORE: All you need to know about Celtic’s Nicolas Kuhn, the winger who has burst into life at Parkhead
Peter Grant on what Nicolas Kuhn ‘first talked about’ after leaving Celtic for Como
Whilst Celtic are one of the biggest clubs in the world, unfortunately, it falls on the backdrop of the Scottish game that doesn’t have the money or the pull of other European leagues.
That’s why Grant told Go Radio that the Hoops have to ‘work really hard’ to lure players to Scotland because it proves to be a ‘really difficult sell.’
Grant wanted to use Kyogo and Kuhn as examples, including how the Japan star joined Rennes for the money, and the ‘first thing’ the latter spoke about was ‘what a lovely place’ Como is to live, which ‘sums it up.’
“But you have to work really hard to bring people to Scotland because they aren’t all Celtic supporters,” said Grant.
“For us, it was a dream, an honour and a privilege. Not for these guys. It doesn’t matter how many trophies Celtic have won, and how many championships. They will look at Scottish football as well.
“Do they want to live in Glasgow? All these different things. It’s a really difficult sell, no matter who you are. Celtic football club sells itself in one respect. But in other respects, it doesn’t because players would go to the bottom teams in the Championship. I have seen it, before they would come to Celtic or Rangers.
“Not because, anything other than the fact that they are getting more money. These clubs couldn’t hold a candle to Celtic.
“Kyogo would be leaving to go to Rennes from Celtic. What’s he going for? Money. We understand that. It’s not worked out, but that’s what he wanted to do. Fine.
“Kuhn, it sums it up that when he went away, the first thing he talked about was not about the football, but what a lovely place it was to live. So, there is a difference.”
What did Kuhn say after first joining Como?
It has been a rather quiet start to life in Italy for Kuhn because he has only earned 34 minutes, and he will be pushing for his first start after the September international break.
But what did he say when he first joined Como? As Grant touched upon, Como, and the place itself, where Celtic played a few pre-season games this summer, did get a mention.
“I’m really excited to be here,” Kuhn told Como’s official website. “I had a long chat with the coach and I can’t wait to get out on the pitch, familiarise myself with the stadium and play in front of our fans.
“The decision was easy: the project is ambitious, and I want to be part of it, doing my best to help the team grow and achieve increasingly important goals.
“The city is beautiful — a real film set! I’m happy to start this new adventure in such a beautiful place”.
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