Kyogo Furuhashi’s transfer from Celtic to Stade Rennais is one that has mystified fans.
The Japanese striker was allowed to leave Celtic for Rennes in a £10m deal that ended Kyogo’s successful three-and-a-half year stay at the Scottish champions.
Kyogo scored 85 goals for Celtic winning eight major honours including three league titles, two Scottish Cups and two League Cups.
However, this season the Celtic icon didn’t seem himself as the goals dried up along with his usual infectious enthusiasm.
Kyogo was allowed to leave Celtic in January and since then his move to Stade Rennais has turned into a nightmare.
Opening up on the transfer, the Ligue 1 club’s chairman has shared what manager Habib Baye thought of Kyogo’s inclusion into the squad when he took over from the man who signed the Celtic hero, Jorge Sampaoli.
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‘No opposition’ from Habib Baye about Celtic hero Kyogo in Stade Rennais squad
Stade Rennais chairman Arnaud Pouille was rounding up the club’s season when the conversation turned to Kyogo and his future at the club.
And here, Pouille shares a brief conversation he had with Habib Baye about the former Celtic striker as he took over the reins from Sampaoli.
Pouille told Ouest-France, “Kyogo was an element on which Frederic and Jorge agreed, we discussed him with Habib around January 27 or 28, if I remember correctly, and there was no opposition from Habib to integrate him into the squad.
“Afterwards, there was a system of competition. In one of his first matches, he got injured and then his place was taken by the emergence of Kader Meite, which remains good news for Stade Rennais.”
Kader Meite has been a sensation for the French club and scored 14 goals in 30 appearances for Stade Rennais as Kyogo kicked his heels on the bench.
But what about the Hoops hero’s future moving forward? Pouille’s comments on that don’t look good for the Japanese forward.
Stade Rennais’ plans for the summer transfer window are not good for Celtic hero Kyogo
With just six appearances for Rennais this season and no goals, Kyogo has found life in France tough. But it appears he won’t be around for much longer after Pouille revealed his club’s summer transfer plans.
Pouille continued, “We’ll need fewer contracts and more knowledge of Ligue 1. The framework is built around the players who arrived in January and the young players from the Academy.
“Among the players returning from loan, there may be some pleasant surprises and people who deserve to be looked at. Some have already been warned that they won’t be kept. We want a training squad of 22 players, plus three goalkeepers. I’m not counting the players in development, knowing that there are some to whom the club has promised a departure.
“Lorenz Assignon asked us to leave. Adrien Truffert is a real problem; he thinks it’s time for him to leave. Arnaud Kalimuendo asked us for permission to talk to other clubs.
“A way out for Jérémy Jacquet, Djaoui Cissé, or Kader Meïté in the event of a big offer? No. Jérémy won’t leave this summer; we’ve already agreed on the principle of an extension until 2029. Djaoui Cissé and Kader Meite won’t leave either.”
With Meite’s future at the club secured and Rennais looking to reduce their squad size, Kyogo’s future in France has never looked as bleak.
The Japanese striker was held in such high regard at Celtic he must surely now be regretting his decision to leave Glasgow this year.
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