Manchester City were in attendance as Celtic hammered Slovan Bratislava 5-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday with Japan international Kyogo Furuhashi still on Pep Guardiola’s radar.
- Exclusive from Graeme Bailey
On a night of mixed fortunes for British clubs in Europe’s premiere club competition, Celtic smashed Slovan Bratislava to secure their biggest ever group-stage win while, south of the border, Manchester City failed to break down a resilient Inter Milan.
Guardiola did wonder if the Premier League champions had made ‘a mistake’ not bringing in another forward to replace Julian Alvarez following his £80 million move to Atletico Madrid.
And, with the usually irrepressible Erling Haaland enduring an off night against Simone Inzaghi’s Inter, the lack of other finishers at Guardiola’s disposal was highlighted by some very poor misses from the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden.
Haaland has nine goals to his name already.
But only three other Man City players have hit the net in 2024/25, one apiece for Kevin de Bruyne, Matteo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva.
Manchester City scout Celtic star Kyogo Furuhashi
Celtic, in contrast, have had few problems sharing the goals around. There were five different names on the scoresheet as Brendan Rodgers’ side – inspired by their three Japanese internationals – put Slovakian outfit Slovan to the sword.
One of those – star striker Kyogo Furuhashi – emerged as a target for Man City late in the summer window.
And with City sending scouts to watch the Japan international again on Wednesday night, it appears that Kyogo is still on the radar heading towards the January market.
HITC can confirm that Kyogo has been interesting Man City for a number of years now. While turning 30 in only a few months’ time, the former Vissel Kobe man is a player Guardiola’s side admire due to his exceptional movement, his outstanding one-touch link-play, and his lethal finishing.
Kyogo, labelled ‘world-class’ by former team-mate Jota, per The Sun, has 75 goals in 139 Celtic games.
That close-range tap-in against Slovan Bratislava was, however, only his third in the Champions League. And it was a chance he could hardly miss, following some outstanding work in the build up from Nicolas Kuhn.
Kyogo, interestingly, scored against Man City in pre-season too. Celtic triumphed 4-3 in a thriller in North Carolina.
Pep Guardiola fears striker ‘mistake’ after Julian Alvarez sale
“I’m happy with the squad,” Guardiola told TNT Sports a few weeks ago when asked if Man City had left themselves a little undercooked in the centre-forward position.
“We didn’t expect Julian was leaving, although he had conversations a long time ago with other clubs and his agent, so it could happen. And, in the end, it happened.
“If we have many, many injuries, it will be a problem. But, in a few months, Oscar Bobb will be back and Phil (Foden) is in that position, (James) McAtee can play in that position, Gundogan can play in that position, Bernardo.
“They are different players to Erling, of course. Maybe it is a mistake (not signing another striker), I don’t know. But I don’t like leaving players without playing for a long time.
“When everyone is involved with a chance to play, the performance of the teams is always better.”
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