Journalist Stuart Hodge believes Kyogo Furuhashi is bringing a level of excitement to Celtic that not even Moussa Dembele managed to deliver and not seen since the days of Martin O’Neill’s team.
Furuhashi was brought in from Japanese outfit Vissel Kobe by new manager Ange Postecoglou during the summer and has managed to make an instant impact at Celtic Park.
The 26-year-old scored a hat-trick in only his second league game against Dundee, while he was absolutely deadly in the Bhoys’ European qualifiers.
Is Furuhashi better than Dembele
Yes
No
Hodge does not believe he is at Dembele’s level yet but thinks the excitement he has brought to the club is unrivalled, comparing it to the O’Neill era.
“Moussa Dembele probably right now is a better, more rounded complete striker. I’m not disputing that,” Hodge said to TIF. “But Furuhashi and the excitement he’s brought to the fanbase is something that I have not seen since the days of that Martin O’Neill team.
“That is massively exciting for Scottish football. He’s a talent that I think is lifting the Scottish game by being here, a bit like Alfredo Morelos at Rangers.”
For under £5m, Furuhashi is looking like a real bargain for Celtic right now and has soften the blow of losing Odsonne Edouard to Crystal Palace.
However, with rivals Rangers still looking extremely strong this season and Celtic showing in recent weeks that they do not have that consistency yet, the Japanese attacker’s arrival may not be enough to win the title.