Celtic have done very well to secure their spot in the knockout phase of the Champions League. When you look at some of the teams behind them in the standings, like Manchester City and PSG, and those with the same number of points, like Real Madrid, Juventus and Bayern Munich, it just goes on to show the magnitude of the Hoops' achievement.
This should not be viewed as the limit of their success though. The aim must be to get as far in the competition as well. Ajax reached the semi-finals some years back, so why can't Celtic?
Well, one of Celtic's transfer decisions this winter has raised eyebrows in that regard. The club have greenlit the exit of Kyogo Furuhashi, who is headed to Rennes.
It is not ideal to part ways with your starting striker of the past three and a half years. Even more so when there are important games coming up in Europe and domestically. One cannot overlook the fact that Celtic have slipped up more than once in the league in recent weeks.
Chris Sutton slams Celtic for £10 million decision
Chris Sutton is clearly not a fan of Celtic's decision to part with Kyogo in the middle of the campaign. As reported by the Daily Record, he said:
"The club is brilliantly run upstairs and I understand there’s a business decision involved, some fans and pundits saying that it’s a good deal, but I don’t see it that way at all. You can tell me that £10million is a good fee for a 30-year-old all you like, but that’s nothing in the modern game for a game-changer and nothing when it comes to the riches which are being dragged in the door from Europe."
Of course, it is very possible that Kyogo wanted to leave after achieving pretty much everything possible at Celtic. But one has to feel that the timing of it could have been better and the opportunity to play for the club in the Champions League knockout phase could have potentially convinced him to stay a further six months.
It is what it is though. The most important thing right now is to find a proper replacement for him. It is also possible that the club try to play Daizen Maeda more centrally with the incoming Jota replacing him on the wing.