Pat Nevin has claimed that ‘a lot of clubs’ will be keeping an eye on Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi as the Japan international continues to shine for the Scottish side.
The 26-year-old only arrived at Parkhead in the summer from Vissel Kobe, but former Everton man Nevin has claimed that the attributes that the forward possesses would result in him impressing in the Premier League.
“If you put Furuhashi in a good team he scores plenty of goals,” Nevin told Off The Ball (via HITC).
“I really do think that. He’s not the tallest, but I think if you look in the Premier League and the best teams, do you need to be the tallest?
“You need to be somebody that’s got great movement in and around the box. Pacey and an intelligent player. So Furuhashi is all those things.
“There’s a lot of clubs that will be watching him right this second. I think he’d be best suited for a Liverpool or a Manchester City. He’d work really, really well there.
“I suspect he would probably have to take a step before he made that one. He would go to one of the other clubs lower down the table, similar to the way Van Dijk did. From Southampton to Liverpool.”
Celtic have lost numerous players to the English top-flight in recent seasons, most notably Virgil van Dijk and Kieran Tierney to Liverpool and Arsenal respectively.
The Japanese star has netted 16 goals and registered five assists for his new side already this term so Nevin is right that major clubs will be keeping tabs on the attacker.
We already have four world-class attacking options at our disposal but we are in urgent need of squad depth.
The Premier League is a serious step-up from the Scottish Premiership, however, so maybe a move to a so-called smaller team would be the better option first.
Kyogo to Liverpool? POPPYCOCK!
Dont be silly. Kyogo would never agree to anything that might take him out of regular, high-profile first-team action. He may have hit big in Scotland, but he still is third or fourth choice for starting time in the Japan NT, and everyone who knows him understands that he wants to make the 2022 WC team.
Honestly – this talk about the EPL is just someone spouting nonsense in order to harvest clicks. Kyogo is not going anywhere this season (and probably next season as well). It wouldnt make sense for him to leave before Dec 2022.
The only thing he has going for him ahead of ONE of his main rivals for playing time (hint: Mo Salah’s backup — you know … that guy whose name EPL announcers still cant pronounce after three years at Liverpool) is that Kyogo – unlike Minamino (me-NAH-me-no) – is playing regularly, and is treated as an actual player (rather than marketing ploy) by his club.
Japanese players always think twice (or longer) before listening to offers from the EPL. Keisuke Honda’s brother (and agent) once told me that Keisuke did not even entertain bids from EPL clubs, because he didnt trust them to actually let him play. This is NOT an uncommon sentiment. While there have been exceptions, the perception in Asia is that EPL clubs have no care whatsoever about a player’s career, and sign Asian players as “a business decision”.
If youre shy of looking in a mirror, then lets not. Instead, ask yourself why Tomiyasu is not playing for Spurs right now. Answer – because they seemed from the outset to be chasing a “great bargain” rather than prospective part of a TEAM. Both Bologna and Tomisawa were hesitant from the outset. And Son’s treatment by some reprobates in the Spurs camp surely doesnt help). Asian players in general care less about how many digits are on their weekly paycheck and more about whether they can be a valued part of a good team. For the time being, and unless someone can show me a reason why Im out of line to think you lot have a “perception problem in Asia”, I think that rules out Liverpool.
Sorry … it just had to be said.