Ange Postecoglou has been tipped to reunite with Celtic talisman Kyogo Furuhashi at Tottenham Hotspur but one Old Firm hero thinks the Japan international might not be the right fit for the Premier League giants.
Kyogo Furuhashi was not only Celtic’s 34-goal top scorer during 2022/23. He is also the man who epitomises Ange Postecoglou’s proactive, high-pressing style like no other.
The Japan international is not only the last line of attack but the first line of Celtic’s defence; a bundle of energy, enthusiasm and no-little quality.
Reports linking Kyogo with a potential £20 million move to Tottenham, then, were about as inevitable as a Cristian Romero caution, especially with Harry Kane’s future uncertain and both Richarlison and Heung-Min Son struggling for form in North London (The Sun).
Former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson, however, is struggling to envisage Kyogo swapping green-and-white for the 2019 Champions League finalists. There remains a considerable gulf in quality, Ferguson argues, between the Scottish Premiership’s Golden Boot winner and two forwards who rank among the very best in the modern Premier League era.
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“I couldn’t see Kyogo playing at Tottenham,” Ferguson tells Go Radio. “(Spurs’ forwards) are world class; the Harry Kanes and Sons of this world.
“Don’t get me wrong, he has been brilliant for Celtic. There’s no doubt about it. His work-rate, attitude…”
Kyogo joined Postecoglou’s Celtic back in 2021 from Vissel Kobe after Odsonne Edouard left for Crystal Palace. Edouard has just 11 league goals in two seasons at Selhurst Park. A tally which arguably highlights the almighty gulf in quality on either side of Hadrian’s Wall.
Ferguson, meanwhile, is waiting to see whether the returning Brendan Rodgers can build upon the rock-solid foundations Postecoglou laid down at Parkhead, with Rangers looking to take full advantage of what may be a transitional season the green-side of Galsgow.
“It will be interesting to see who stays and who goes under Brendan Rodgers, and what sort of budget he’ll have,” the Ibrox legend adds. “I don’t imagine he would have come up to Scotland without a budget to operate on.”
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