When Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou arrived in Glasgow from Yokohama F. Marinos in June, it didn’t take long for him to delve into the Japanese market for players.
Kyogo Furuhashi arrived at Celtic from Vissel Kobe and was top scorer in the J1 League with 14 goals in 20 games prior to his departure.
A lot of Celtic fans wouldn’t have seen a lot of Furuhashi before his arrival in Glasgow, but Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta offered a glowing reference of his former team-mate.
The World Cup winner said: ‘To be honest, he absolutely has the talent to play in Europe. He’s leading the J1’s scoring chart, but it’s not just that. He’s got strong technique, and I believe he can succeed in Europe.’
The pair played together at Vissel Kobe for three years between 2018 and 2021, winning both the Emperor’s Cup and a Japanese Super Cup during this time.
There was plenty of speculation surrounding top scorer Odsonne Edouard’s future at the time that Furuhashi arrived, with the forward eventually departing for Crystal Palace on transfer deadline day.
The Bhoys made a deadline day swoop of their own when they signed Giorgos Giakoumakis from Dutch club VVV-Venlo in the hope that he could replace Édouard.
The Greek striker was top scorer in the Dutch Eredivisie last season with 26 goals, but despite this, he has struggled to replicate that form in Scotland.
Unlike Giakoumakis, Furuhashi has adapted to Scottish football with ease.
Kyogo Furuhashi’s dream debut
His home debut was one to remember, as he scored a stunning hat-trick in a 6-0 win over Dundee.
The Japan international has continued to impress and is currently Celtic’s leading scorer with 16 goals in just 25 appearances so far this season.
Last season was a difficult one for Celtic, with the Hoops going trophyless for the first time since 2010.
They missed out on a 10th league title in a row, with Old Firm rivals Rangers winning the title undefeated.
Scottish League Cup final heroics
On December 19, Celtic had the chance to claim their first trophy under manager Ange Postecoglou when they faced Hibernian in the Scottish League Cup final at Hampden Park.
The Celts were left sweating over the fitness of their star man Furuhashi after he suffered a hamstring injury in a Europa League clash with Real Betis earlier this month.
Despite the injury concern, Furuhashi produced the goods when Celtic needed it the most against Hibs.
Having fallen behind to Paul Hanlon’s header early in the second half, Celtic’s equaliser came just a minute later, when Callum McGregor played the ball into Furuhashi in the box and the forward buried the ball past Matt Macey.
The winner came with just under 20 minutes left, a fine lob from the Japanese international left Macey stranded once again and ensured that Celtic would be bringing home at least one piece of silverware this season.
Furuhashi has only been at Celtic for a short period of time, but his heroics in the League Cup final will be remembered for many years to come.
He isn’t the first Japanese player to shine in a Celtic shirt either; Shunsuke Nakamura had a very successful spell at the club between 2005 and 2009.
With Furuhashi already proving to be another star and Ange Postecoglou having a lot of knowledge of the Japanese market from his time coaching there, Celtic may look to the J1 League again for more signings soon.
Rangers will be favourites to go on and claim a second-successive title and have currently won every league game under new manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Celtic are six points behind their Old Firm rivals, but they are in fine form, having won six of their last seven league games – and drawing the other on Wednesday at St Mirren.
Furuhashi’s bright future at Celtic Park… and beyond?
Celtic will also be hoping that Furuhashi can continue his fine form long into the future.
The 26-year-old signed a four-year deal with the club when he arrived from Japan in the summer, so he is tied down until at least 2025.
However, if he continues to impress in a Celtic shirt, it won’t be long before he starts to attract the interest of other clubs.
The Glasgow club have made big money from sales in recent years with Moussa Dembele, Edouard and Kieran Tierney all leaving the club for high transfer fees.
If a big offer does come in for Furuhashi in the coming years, Celtic will have their price, just like they did with Dembele, Edouard and Tierney.
As long as Furuhashi continues his excellent form at Celtic, they could eventually make a big profit on the £4.6million that they reportedly paid for him in the summer.
