Martin O’Neill might have proven some magic throughout his first spell as caretaker supervisor at Celtic, however the 73-year-old isn’t any miracle employee, regardless of profitable seven of eight video games in all competitions. This group desperately wants enchancment.
Wilfried Nancy’s ill-suited 3-4-2-1 set-up actually uncovered the shortcomings an excessive amount of, however the shortcomings nonetheless stay, and the shortage of an acceptable and dependable centre-forward is maybe the largest drawback at the moment dealing with O’Neill.
The motley quartet of Johnny Kenny, Shin Yamada, Callum Osmando and Kelechi Iheanacho have solely scored 9 targets all season.
Hoops followers might look again fondly on Ange Postecoglou’s tenure and the enjoyable headache of selecting between Kyōgo Furuhashi and Giorgos Jakoumakis. These two skilled strikers are actually worthwhile.
Going again even additional, O’Neill is aware of higher than anybody the worth of Parkhead’s high quality attacking line – John Hartson, Chris Sutton and Henrik Larsson. Can the membership strategy such heights once more?
It’s really unbelievable that, in opposition to Brendan Rodgers’ needs, the Celtic bosses signed a deal permitting Adam Ider to hitch Swansea Metropolis on the finish of the summer season window, regardless of not having secured a confirmed alternative.
Free agent Iheanacho wanted a late-day switch to strengthen the centre-forward line-up, however the Nigerian has since been suffering from accidents, with Osmando additionally at the moment sidelined.
With that in thoughts, the Scottish Solar experiences that O’Neill has informed the board that he needs to signal a brand new striker as quickly as doable, and the membership have been contemplating their choices over the previous 24 hours or so.
The article notes that the Hoops are grappling with the potential of a shock return for Kyogo, only a yr after promoting the Japanese hero to Rennes for £10m.
The 30-year-old, who’s at the moment at Birmingham Metropolis, may function on mortgage in Parkhead’s shock return residence, with options that he may arrive forward of this weekend’s sport in opposition to Dundee United.
Encouragingly, the report goes on to state that “different transfers are additionally into account”.
As already talked about, O’Neill has some information of elite strikers, with Larsson having been a treble-winning talisman for years, scoring 242 targets in a complete of 315 video games for the Glasgow facet.
In fashionable occasions, Kyogo has come nearer than anybody to emulating the legendary Swede, with O’Neill himself describing the striker as “higher than anybody since Henrik left”.
Frustratingly for the previous Vissel Kobe participant, he failed to attain a single league aim in 23 Championship appearances for Birmingham, and his kind failed to enhance throughout his time away from Scotland, failing to attain in any respect in France.
Some might argue that he’s certainly the Blues’ reply to Michel Ange Balikwisha, however his latest woes shouldn’t overshadow the menace of Kyogo’s Celtic panache. He ought to be welcomed again with open arms.
A contemporary-day goalscoring talisman for the Hoops, Kyōgo, like Larsson earlier than him, was a selected thorn in Rangers’ facet, scoring 85 targets in 165 video games earlier than heading to Ligue 1, scoring eight of 17 in opposition to Ibrox.
Keigo begins in Celtic’s final sport | |
|---|---|
vs Younger Boys (2025/01/22) | |
place | participant |
GK | Schmeichel |
R.B. | johnston |
C.B. | carter vickers |
C.B. | trustee |
lb | taylor |
CM | Engels |
CM | mcgregor |
CM | Hatate |
RW | Kuhn |
ST | Kyogo |
LW | Maeda |
Larson was additionally the king of the derby, having scored 15 targets in whole earlier than leaving for Barcelona, together with a jubilant aim below O’Neill in a 6-2 thrashing in 2000.
He might have been succeeded by O’Neill, however the enigmatic coach had devastating impact on the Scandinavian star. Will he have the ability to do the identical for Kyogo?
It isn’t an excellent image for the Hoops, who’ve already introduced again the likes of Kieran Tierney and Jota over the previous yr, and it needs to be stated that it is not precisely a sign that the scouting system is working.
Alternatively, Keigo particularly has been there and carried out it. He may very nicely be the person to get Celtic again on monitor at a time when Celtic can’t afford to sink any additional down the desk.
O’Neill may dump Kenny by making the £3m striker his first cope with Celtic
Martin O’Neill may drop Johnny Kenny from his beginning lineup on brief discover as a way to signal the Celtic striker.
