The wrong move can kill the career of a footballer. We discussed Maik Nawrocki on Tuesday, who arrived in Glasgow as a promising 22-year-old but has scarcely seen grass on active duty since. The same can happen to proven talents, such as Kyogo.
Rennes were in relegation trouble when he joined them in January. Three days later, the manager who signed him was sacked, leaving Kyoto a peripheral figure since. Anthony Ralston has played more than twice as many minutes for Celtic as Kyogo has for Rennes since the Japanese forward went to France.
Reports from France suggest Kyogo will be available for transfer when the window opens in June. Like Jota, 30-year-old found the perfect platform to flourish at Celtic. Like Jota, his slight frame does not fit the popular identikit of the modern player. He will struggle to find a place to land next season which makes the most of his outstanding talent.
You want him back. I know how you feel. So many great goals and great performances mean he is an easy player to love. For me, though, he is off plan. Celtic has (perhaps had) a football identity; for years this has been a club which finds undervalued potential, develops and sells great players at a significant profit.
When you have a clear and successful strategy, commit. This is without question the best strategy open to Celtic and to maximise our potential, we need to lean into it. This strategy invests equally in this season as in three years out, when the newest crop may leave.
It is not clear we are still on this path. The only player we signed across the last two windows who could be described as undervalued and with potential is Viljami Sinisalo, who has made one appearance since joining (against Raith Rovers).
Kieran Tierney will be 28 when he arrives. We love Kieran too, he will improve the team and help with the all-important qualifier (if fit). Jeffrey Schlupp is a solid performer and we may need a solid backup to Kieran, but Jeffrey is 32. The argument to fill your first team with players who have development potential is substantial; there is no argument for backup players to be the wrong side of 30.
This brings us back to Kyogo. Kyogo did more for Celtic than Kieran. He picked the club up off the turf in 2021 and helped deliver eight of 10 available domestic trophies in his time here. As far as our legacy strategy is concerned, he is off plan. If that strategy has discretely been disposed, like Jota and Kieran, he still has something to offer Celtic.
Finding undervalued talent and developing players is hard work and you usually need to wait until the medium-term for payback. It is a lot easier to sign them at their reputational and earning peak; until the reckoning comes. 20 years ago, some of us watched a great Celtic team grow old, before being broken up, sold for buttons or leave for free. This is a warning for us.
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I remember Dim Tim and the Krankies back in the days of the ole Burns’s Howfffffff
BOURNESOUPRECIPE
Aye indeed. Halcyon days.
bournesouprecipe on 20th March 2025 7:05 pm
Steven Naismith on for Neil McCann
The well is deep . Hunimaginably deep .
GLENDALYSTONSILS re: a deep staunch black hole in hunanity
Days all mixed up, thanks for reminder game is on.
BRB 👍
Glendalys
Like for like EBT impact subs 😂
Naismith looks like a hun tottie heid. Oops, forgot he is one.
“The argument to fill your first team with players who have development potential is substantial; there is no argument for backup players to be the wrong side of 30.”
–KT and Izzy
For once Scotland got a decision in their favour. Mind you, those commentators….Dire, imo.
the tartan army pyro ………….. several jacks lighting up their pipes
greece quick news.
stop this playing from the back and get the ball up the park faster, crab like fitba.
Who is the main commentator in the Scotland game?
I find him a hard listen. Not as bad as McCoist obviously.
William[Liam] Mcleod
He claims to be an Aberdeen supporter. He certainly isn’t a Celtic sympathiser.
Scotland doing very well so far.
Dessybhoy
Thanks.
Heard him before but never caught his name.
Timmy7 – No surprise there. Wouldn’t get a bbc gig if he was a Tim.
Hey McLeod, get offa my ewe.
Not been Stevie Clarke’s biggest fan, but he has got Scotland playing in a way that suits his players. We look fairly comfortable, and we should have had at least one more goal, courtesy Adams. Think four of this team are now playing in Italy, three after playing in EPL/EFL. That can only help. Got a few Celtic Connections too, and Tony R doing quite well. Had us down for a draw, but a win is just as likely now.
Going to the Shipbank tomorrow for a beer or two. Come along and let the good times roll. Tony Rome is buying. 👍
Wasn’t Liam Mcleod commentating when Neil’s Celtic team beat Barca?
Adams and barrel of………
GGH 8.38
Jagger/Richards lawyers shall be in touch m
Pat Stanton
Billy Stark
Tosh McKinley
Barry Robson
Plenty of others who were fine signings, it can’t always be about the sell on….
Terrible thing, the drink.
brrb
It’s not for the amateurs….
Celtic Mac
I know. I’m learning day by night. Allegedly.
We need to find the Greek’s achilles heel…
BradPittCSC
Aberdeen supporter, you say?
Like Willie Miller and Richard Gordon?
Huns in sheep clothing.
BRRB
Any resemblance to any part of their fine body of work is entirely intentional.
Looks like Greece called upon Thor to give the HT team talk🫣
The Blogger Formerly Known As GM on 20th March 2025 9:06 pm
Aberdeen supporter, you say?
Like Willie Miller and Richard Gordon?
Huns in sheep clothing.
————-
no, all 3 are aberdeen supporters.
Tony Ralston defending well under pressure
Gets more time for Scotland than Celtic these days…
Liam McLeod is indeed an Aberdeen fan…his wife is a Celtic fan and Liam does favour the tims over the huns.
KT coming on……
Plus big George Hurst (whose Dad played for England)
The Blogger Formerly Known As GM on 20th March 2025 9:15 pm
Looks like Greece called upon Thor to give the HT team talk
—————
Thor is Norse mythology, not greek.
I read the classics.
marvel comics csc
KT playing in front of Andy Robbo…
Has had a wee bit game time there with Arsenal
Did I say he was Greek?
Scots bearing gifts to Greeks
Penalty?
these greeks are working like trojans.
Wouldn’t have taken Tony R aff, was doing well