It is no secret that the summer transfer window did not end in the way that Celtic or their supporters wanted it to, particularly on deadline day last week.
Sebastian Tounekti was the only signing on deadline day, as the Hoops failed to sign any strikers, and the club published a lengthy statement attempting to explain their failings a few days later.
In July, during pre-season, Brendan Rodgers explained that the club needed to bring in more quality in the attacking areas of the pitch because of the players sold this year.
The Celtic manager said: “I think it’s bringing goals to the squad. Especially when you score four goals, it seems like you’re okay. But we lost an important player in Kyogo [Furuhashi] in January. He brought us a lot of goals. We lost Nicolas Kuhn. He brought us a lot of goals. Matt O’Riley even last summer.”
On top of that, the Scottish Premiership champions also allowed Adam Idah to join Swansea on deadline day, which meant that the club had allowed Idah and Kyogo to leave in back-to-back windows without investing in a significant signing to replace them.
Of course, Kelechi Iheanacho then came through the door on a free transfer the day after deadline day, but the lack of quality in the number nine role is a concern.
Why losing Kyogo Furuhashi was a blow for Celtic
It is fair to say that Kyogo was not at the very best of his game when the Hoops decided to sell him to Ligue 1 side Rennes for a fee of £10m towards the end of the January transfer window.
The Japan international only scored ten goals from 13.62 xG in the Premiership during the first half of the season, per FotMob, which shows that he had been incredibly wasteful in front of goal up to that point.
Bringing in £10m for a 30-year-old striker with that return in the Premiership was not a bad deal on paper, by any means, but it is the lack of reaction to that sale that has ultimately made it a blow.
Kyogo, for all of his faults at the end of his time at the club, was almost a guaranteed goalscorer. He scored 85 goals in 165 matches for the Hoops and hit double figures for goals in all four of his Premiership campaigns, per Transfermarkt.
The Japanese marksman, even though his finishing powers waned, knew how to score goals on a regular basis in Scotland, and Celtic are currently struggling for goals.
Benjamin Nygren
2.13
3
Adam Idah
0.98
0
Johnny Kenny
0.87
1
Shin Yamada
0.73
0
Daizen Maeda
0.61
0
As you can see in the table above, Johnny Kenny is the only striker to have scored a goal for Celtic after four matches in the Premiership this season, whilst the Hoops also failed to score in two qualifying games against Kairat.
It is now up to Iheanacho, who only scored four goals in 26 matches in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, to step up and provide the goals that Rodgers’ side have lacked.
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Meanwhile, Celtic appear to be brewing their next version of Kyogo Furuhashi in Japan international Daizen Maeda, and not in a positive way.
Why Daizen Maeda is on his way to becoming the new Kyogo Furuhashi
As aforementioned, Kyogo’s finishing left a lot to be desired in his last six months at the club before he completed a January move away from Parkhead at the start of this year.
Maeda is currently in danger of following that same path after an underwhelming start to the 2025/26 campaign and some worrying quotes about his future in Glasgow.
Speaking after the window closed, the forward said: “I received an offer. I had been telling the club that I wanted to take the next step, but Celtic hadn’t been able to strengthen their squad properly, so in the end they told me they couldn’t let me go. Personally, I had agreed, so I wanted to take on the challenge. The national team also delayed my joining, and I asked Celtic until the last day, but it didn’t happen.”
These quotes, particularly the one about wanting to take the next step, suggest that Maeda is not planning to stay at Parkhead for many more years, which now puts his short-term future in doubt.
Now that clubs know that he wants to take that next step in his career, the January transfer window may present the Hoops with opportunities to cash in on him, just like it did with Kyogo at the start of this year.
Maeda won the Premiership Player of the Year award last season for his terrific performances in the division. He racked up 16 goals from 12.76 xG, per FotMob, which shows that he was lethal in front of goal.
However, the Japan international has failed to score in four appearances in the league so far this season, missing two ‘big chances’, and Rodgers will be hoping that he is not following in Kyogo’s footsteps.
Appearances
36
60
xG
20.55
32.73
Shots
88
164
Shots on target
42
69
Goals
27
24
As you can see in the table above, Kyogo’s incredible 27-goal haul in the 2022/23 Premiership season turned out to be more of a flash in the pan, as he significantly underperformed his xG and only scored 24 goals in the next two campaigns combined.
Maeda may not have scored 27 last season for the Scottish giants, but he is already in danger of his 16-goal haul looking like a flash in the pan after a slow start to the season in front of goal.
The Japanese star was hailed as “phenomenal” by interim Rangers boss Barry Ferguson, who also described the forward as being “built like a brick”, but he has not looked at his phenomenal best so far this term.
Hopefully, Maeda can get to his best to avoid becoming the next Kyogo by being another striker whose finishing form falls off a cliff after an impressive season.
On top of that, Rodgers and the supporters will also be hoping that he does not become the next Kyogo by moving on from Parkhead in the upcoming January window.