Celtic have been very busy when it comes to strengthening their squad in recent times. That has been evident on how the team has transformed under the management of Ange Postecoglou. During his first six months at the club, the roster was super thin and an injury or two left them in a terrible position and players had to play out of position. Now though, the club have multiple options for every position.
Recently, we saw Giorgos Giakoumakis leave the club. While not a starter, the Greek striker was proven at Parkhead and had played a key part in their Premiership triumph last season.
Celtic brought in Oh Hyeon-gyu from Suwon Samsung Bluewings as his replacement. But it had not always looked like the 21-year-old was their number one choice up front. Instead, for weeks, the Hoops had been linked with Cho Gue-sung.
The South Korean striker had impressed immensely at the World Cup and looked like the perfect player to replace someone like Giorgos Giakoumakis. And rumours even suggested that Celtic had submitted a bid for Cho. But ultimately, he stayed on at Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors for the time being. That does not mean that a deal is completely off the table.
£3 million player tipped to join Celtic in the summer
As reported by Football Scotland, Ji Sung Park said about the situation:
"“Celtic participate in European competition which is a great experience for the player and Cho would get an opportunity to express himself by playing in the Scottish league.“It would be perfect for him to improve in the future and he could stay at Celtic or Rangers which would be totally fine, or he could move on to a bigger league.“Celtic or Rangers would be great for him to be his next step in his career. In the winter there were a few clubs interested but we didn’t make a deal, but this summer I am happy to sell him and I think he’ll be ready for his next step. First he needs to do well in our league and keep up his level, then prove it himself and I’m sure he can go to Europe in the summer.”"
Cho has put up fantastic numbers in the K League recently and was expected to make a move to Europe after his promising World Cup campaign. Clubs like Celtic, Mainz and others were believed to be interested in the striker.
But he stayed put at Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors for the time being. It looks like Cho only wants to make a move to Europe in the summer and not in the middle of the season, which will allow him to spend pre-season with his teammates and give him some time to adjust to his new surroundings.