Celtic can finally replace Kyogo in swoop for “unplayable” £150k-p/w PL gem

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers recently revealed that the Scottish Premiership champions need to add more goals to their team during the summer transfer window.

When asked about what the Hoops need to do before the start of September, the 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.

Ligue 1 side Rennes swooped in to sign Kyogo Furuhashi from the Scottish giants for a reported fee of £10m in January, ending a goal-laden time for the striker at Parkhead.

Celtic hit the jackpot with Kyogo Furuhashi

Ange Postecoglou signed the centre-forward from Vissel Kobe in the summer of 2021, and it is safe to say that it was an incredibly successful move for all parties involved.

Kyogo ended his Celtic career with a return of 85 goals and 15 assists in 165 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, which shows that he was prolific throughout his time at the club.

His best season at Parkhead, by far, was when he plundered 34 goals in the 2022/23 campaign for Postecoglou, though, as the Japan international was a goal machine that year.

Whilst it is unrealistic to expect Celtic to find a new forward who can score 34 goals in one season, Rodgers could finally replace Kyogo by signing Federico Chiesa on loan from Liverpool, as the club are reportedly one of the teams chasing a loan deal for the attacker.

Why Celtic should sign Federico Chiesa

If the Hoops can convince the Italy international to make the move to Parkhead on loan, the £150k-per-week star could be a high-quality addition to the squad.

Chiesa primarily plays as a winger but he has also started 87 career club games as a second striker or as a centre-forward, which suggests that he could play through the middle for Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.

The Italian forward has scored 66 goals for Juventus and Fiorentina, whilst he has also scored seven goals for his country. This speaks to his pedigree and shows the kind of quality that the Hoops would be bringing in.

Chiesa only played 14 times, scoring twice, in all competitions for Liverpool last season, but his form in the 2023/24 campaign for Juventus shows that he has the quality to be a fantastic signing for Celtic.

As you can see in the table above, the Italian forward, who can play wide or centrally, provided a big threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals in one of Europe’s major leagues.

The 27-year-old star, who was once dubbed “unplayable” by reporter Carlo Garganese, was also incredibly efficient in front of goal, overperforming his xG by almost three goals.

Whereas, Kyogo only scored 10 goals from 14.14 xG in the first half of last season’s Premiership campaign. Chiesa, based on his form for Juventus, could be far more efficient with the chances that come his way if Rodgers provided him with an opportunity to play regularly.

The Italian dynamo is a clinical finisher and creative force who can offer quality out wide or through the middle as a dynamic forward option, who is already proven at a higher level of football than the Premiership.

Therefore, Celtic should be pushing to win the race for Chiesa’s services as he is a clinical forward who could provide a cutting edge to the team’s attack as a Kyogo replacement this summer.