Celtic confirmed their first signing of the summer transfer window this week with the arrival of goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo from Aston Villa on a permanent deal.
The Finland international has put pen to paper on a long-term contract with the Hoops to compete for the number one jersey that was vacated by Joe Hart at the end of last season.
He is not the only shot-stopper set to join the ranks, however, as veteran colossus Kasper Schmeichel is reportedly poised to sign a one-year contract at Parkhead.
Celtic have also agreed a £3.5m fee with Benfica to sign Paulo Bernardo on a permanent basis after his loan spell in Glasgow during the 2023/24 campaign.
This means that the Hoops could have three players in the door by the end of the week, if all goes well, but they may not be done there in the summer transfer window.
Attacking reinforcements could be on the agenda for Brendan Rodgers after current first-choice striker Kyogo Furuhashi endured a difficult season last term in front of goal for the Scottish giants.
Kyogo Furuhashi's dip in form
You could have forgiven the manager and the supporters for being excited about the prospect of what the Japan international could do in the 2023/24 campaign.
He was coming off the back of an exceptional season under Ange Postecoglou, who he fired in goals for on a consistent basis in the Scottish Premiership.
Kyogo won the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award for his efforts in the Premiership during the 2022/23 campaign, as the striker produced an outstanding rate of scoring.
Appearances
36
Goals
27
Big chances missed
16
Conversion rate
31%
Left foot goals
12
Right foot goals
14
As you can see in the table above, the Japanese dynamo fired in an unbelievable return of 27 goals in 36 appearances in the division, missing just 16 'big chances'.
Perhaps the most impressive part of that, however, was that almost half of his goals came with his weaker left foot, which shows how adept Kyogo was at finishing with both feet and from all angles.
Unfortunately, though, his form dipped under Rodgers last season as he began to struggle in front of goal, with a lot of wasteful finishing for Celtic.
Kyogo ended the 2023/24 Premiership campaign with 14 goals and a staggering 24 'big chances' missed in 38 league games, with a conversion rate of just 14% – less than half of his 31% conversion rate the previous season.
The 29-year-old forward scored those 14 goals from an xG of 18.39 – an underperformance of -4.39. No other player in the squad underperformed their xG by more than -2.78, which illustrates how wasteful he was in the final third for the Scottish giants.
It is now down to Rodgers and Kyogo to work together on the training pitch to fix his performances and get him back to his best ahead of the 2024/25 campaign kicking off at Parkhead against Kilmarnock next month.
Celtic could help to fix the Japan international by signing one of their reported transfer targets to play with him at the top end of the pitch next term.
Celtic's interest in wing wizard
It was recently reported by Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri that the Bhoys are keen on a summer swoop for Royal Antwerp FC forward Michel-Ange Balikwisha.
Celtic have already made contact with the player's agents to discuss a possible move to take the Belgian winger to Glasgow before the end of the summer transfer window.
Tavolieri added that talks are now expected to take place between the Hoops and Antwerp to discuss a deal for the 23-year-old wing wizard ahead of next season.
However, the reporter did not reveal how much the Pro League side are set to demand from the Scottish Premiership champions in order to part ways with their star attacker.
He also did not state whether or not the Bhoys are prepared to make a formal offer for his services, or if they are just set to discuss potential terms for a future swoop.
Balikwisha could be a fantastic addition to the Celtic squad, though, if they can reach an agreement for his signature as he could help to fix Kyogo.
Why Michel-Ange Balikwisha could help to fix Kyogo Furuashi
Firstly, one of the Hoops' issues last season was that their wingers also struggled with their finishing in front of goal and did not make up for the Japan international's problems in that respect.
Kyogo Furuhashi
18.39
14
-4.39
Daizen Maeda
8.78
6
-2.78
Reo Hatate
4.92
3
-1.92
Luis Palma
8.54
7
-1.54
Hyeon-gyu Oh
6.35
5
-1.35
As you can see in the table above, Celtic's two first-choice left wingers – Daizen Maeda and Luis Palma – also underperformed their xG in the Premiership.
Hyun-jun Yang also underperformed his on the right flank with one goal from 2.11 xG and Scotland international James Forrest scored six goals from 6.42 xG.
Whereas, Balikwisha scored seven goals from 6.46 xG across 27 starts in the Pro League for Antwerp last season, showing that he can finish chances at an excellent rate in comparison to Rodgers' current wingers.
This suggests that the Belgian sensation could take a lot of the pressure off Kyogo by using his ability in front of goal to finish with a greater success rate than the likes of Maeda, Palma, Yang, and Forrest, which could then help the Japanese forward to relax and play with less pressure.
Balikwisha's creativity could also help to create more chances for the Celtic star, as he could offer more than Maeda in that respect for the Hoops.
The 23-year-old ace, who U23 scout Antonio Mango claimed plays with "aggression and flair", provided five assists and made 1.5 key passes per game in the league, whilst Maeda managed three assists and 0.5 key passes per match.
This suggests that Balikwisha has the potential to create three times as many chances per outing in comparison to the Japan international, which means that far more opportunities could be made for Kyogo to score.
Celtic could perfectly replace Oh by signing £8.5m star
The Hoops recently cashed in on the South Korean attacker ahead of next season.
ByDan EmeryJul 17, 2024
Therefore, Rodgers could help to fix the Japanese striker by signing the Antwerp star to take the pressure off him with his goalscoring quality whilst also creating more chances for him in games.
