What the French media are saying about ex-Celtic flop Hyeokkyu Kwon’s Nantes debut vs PSG

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Hyeokkyu Kwon resumes his career this season after leaving Celtic for Nantes.

In an incredible turn of events, Kwon, who never made a single competitive appearance for Celtic, is now plying his trade in Ligue 1 with Nantes.

Kwon joined Nantes after returning to Celtic from a loan spell at Hibs and he has been thrown straight into action at the weekend.

Nantes faced French powerhouse PSG in a narrow 1-0 defeat and it seems the former Celtic midfielder blew the French media away.

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French media hail ‘tireless’ ex-Celtic man Kwon’s Nantes debut vs PSG

Despite not featuring for Celtic at all, Nantes boss Luís Castro had no qualms about throwing Kwon in against the Champions League holders, PSG.

And the French media were left in awe about the former Celtic man’s performance.

But! Football Club: “Tireless, Kwon multiplied defensive runs, recoveries, and sharp interventions. In the short clearance, he showed application and calm, even if his slightly too deep positioning sometimes left some spaces in the heart of the play. Seeing him drop back to insert himself between the two central defenders in the off-ball game was undoubtedly an instruction delivered by Luis Castro.”

Ouest-France: “Like Kwon Hyeok-kyu, most of FC Nantes’ new players put in encouraging performances against Paris Saint-Germain.”

ActuNantes: “Kwon made a good impression. In the defensive phase, the South Korean integrated into the central hinge to form a 5-4-1. He regularly cut off the passing trajectories of the Parisian players, he was replaced by Francis Coquelin in the 79th minute of play.”

It seems the French media love Kwon, but do the former Celtic man’s stats add up to the praise?

Ex-Celtic man Hyeokkyu Kwon’s Nantes stats vs PSG

Kwon managed 79 minutes of a tough fixture against the Champions League holders and this is how Fotmob rated the midfielder:

• Rating: 6.2
• Minutes played: 79
• Goals: 0
• Assists: 0
• Total shots: 0
• Accurate passes: 11/15 (73%)

• Touches: 26
• Tackles won: 0/3 (0%)
• Blocks: 3
• Clearances: 2
• Headed clearance: 1
• Interceptions: 0
• Defensive contributions: 8
• Recoveries: 1
• Dribbled past: 1

The stats don’t really match the praise but well done to Kwon on impressing so quickly after his Celtic exit and against the current Champions League holders.