Kyogo sends clear message amid Celtic exit rumours

Signing Kyogo from Vissel Kobe is one of the best decisions that Celtic have made in a long, long time. When the Japanese forward had arrived, there were many questions raised about whether he could deal with the physicality of the Scottish game. On the contrary, it is the defenders who have struggled to deal with him, as he has established himself as the main man up top in Ange Postecoglou’s team.

Kyogo was superb last season as well, and appears to have taken his game up a level this time around. There is a good chance that he could cross the 30-goal mark for the campaign. According to stats from Transfermarkt, he has scored 26 goals and provided 5 assists in 39 appearances in 2022/23.

Unsurprisingly, Kyogo has been linked with a move away from Celtic Park. There have been some rumours that Crystal Palace are readying a transfer bid for him.

It is not hard to see why that might be the case. The contract of Wilfried Zaha runs out in the summer while Odsonne Edouard has failed to make an impact for the Eagles. But it looks like Kyogo is fully concentrated on Celtic.

Kyogo sends clear message amid Celtic exit rumours

As reported by the Daily Record, Kyogo said in a Japanese TV interview:

"“I am really happy in Glasgow. I had prepared to play in the World Cup. But it’s useless to talk and think about the past. So after me not getting into the squad happened, I decided I was only going to concentrate on the future at Celtic. I wanted to score a goal in every game to help the team win. I have managed to score more goals than any other Japanese player in a season in Europe. My dream of playing in the World Cup for Japan has not come true so far, but the season has been very good for me.”"

There were times early on in this campaign when Kyogo was struggling with his finishing. But being left out of Japan’s World Cup squad seems to have been what he needed to rediscover his best form.

Kyogo has been almost unplayable after the World Cup. And it is not just the number of goals that he has been scoring, but the occasions in which he is scoring them as well. The Japanese forward had won Celtic the League Cup last season with a brace in the final vs Hibernian. He repeated that this time, scoring twice against the Rangers at Hampden Park.