Celtic experienced a disappointing night in Rotterdam losing 2-0 to Feyenoord in the opening round of the Champions League group stage. It was a game in which Brendan Rodgers’ side saw two red cards and conceded a bad goal. And the Hoops have come under the microscope for their recent transfer decisions, not for the first time this summer.
One of the key players to have left Celtic in recent times is Giorgos Giakoumakis. The striker moved to the MLS earlier this year, joining Atlanta United.
The former Scottish Premiership top goalscorer has already bagged 14 goals in 22 games this season in the MLS. He found the back of the net consistently during his 18-month spell at Parkhead as well.
South Korean striker Hyeon-gyu Oh was brought in to replace Giakoumakis from Suwon Bluewings in a €2.8 million move. After experiencing a few injuries to start his career at Celtic Park, the 21-year-old forward is now fit and looking to find his best form. He was brought on to replace Daizen Maeda late in the game against Feyenoord but was unable to impact the match.
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As reported by Glasgow Live, Celtic legend Stephen McGinn said on Go Radio:
"“It’s almost unfair to compare. Giakoumakis was the type of signing where you go and sign the Eredivisie top goalscorer. Kyogo pops his shoulder, and Giakoumakis can come in and play and score at that level, play against Rangers and be a handful.“You’re signing a guy form the other side of the world as a project signing, who MIGHT end up being Giakoumakis – but he isn’t at the minute, so Kyogo with a dodgy shoulder needs to play every game.“Giakoumakis is gone, but you can understand the frustration. The game he scored in the Champions League, they both played. Kyogo dropped back one and he is probably saying ‘I know Kyogo is your number one, but you’ve played us both at the highest level and I’ve scored, what more do I need to do?’"
Giakoumakis scored 26 goals in 30 appearances in the Eredivisie during the 2020/21 season, topping the scoring charts there, before he made the move to Celtic from VVV-Venlo.
Talking about Giakoumakis, Peter Grant went on to say:
"“He was always between the sticks and nobody liked coming up against him, and I think Oh is like that, but he just needs to get up to speed.”"
You never know the circumstances behind any transfer, at least not fully. If Giakoumakis wanted to be the main man for Celtic, he was always likely to end up disappointed considering the form and talent of Kyogo Furuhashi. It would be safe to say though that the Greek striker was at a level above where Oh is at this point in his career.