Yang’s call up to the South Korea national team squad is recognition of his current form. The player arrived in Glasgow as a raw 20-year-old in 2023, shortly after compatriot Oh (then aged 21) became a Celtic player. A week later, Kwon (then 22) made it three came in from Korea that year.
Kwon never played a minute for Celtic. He was left to wither on the vine for two years, with short loan spells at St Mirren and Hibs, before Nantes took him to Ligue 1 last summer. He moved to Germany in the winter transfer window and is now a regular in Bundesliga 2 for Karlsruher. Kwon (25) is a 6’ 4” No. 6 who was brought in to shadow Callum McGregor. He joins Yang in the Korea squad this month, and had the profile of recruit we were looking for in 2023. If we’d developed him correctly, he would own the No. 6 role in Callum’s absence.
Oh left Celtic for Genk for £2m in 2024 and has not looked back. A medical denied him a €20m move to Stuttgart a year later, but Besiktas paid €14m for him in January. At 24-years-old, he is a hot talent who is now miles out of our reach. He makes it three players Celtic signed in 2023 who are in the South Korea squad this month. The Koreans rank 22 in the world; Scotland are 38th.
Others who arrived in 2023 were Tomoki Iwata, who starts every week for Birmingham while Kyogo watches from the bench. Gus Lagerbiekle (25), who is ripping it up for Braga in Portugal. Maik Nawrocki (25) came in that summer and is currently on loan at Hannover – he scored against Schalke on Sunday. Hannover will exercise their option to buy if they gain promotion from Bundesliga 2.
Luis Palma got 18 months and more game time than the others before being shipped out. He is a big favourite at Lech Poznan, where he is on loan. Marco Tilio is a player who signed that summer, picked up an injury almost immediately and was then ignored. He rescued his career with a move to Rapid Vienna last summer after a productive loan spell back in Australia.
Alastair Johnston joined from Montreal in January 2023 and despite an injury-hampered season he has been a standout at right back. Illness denied Odin Holm an early chance and he has made little impact since. He is the only permanent signing made in 2023 who has not kicked on in the game.
It is almost vandalism that talent like Oh, Kwon, Lagerbielke, Narwocki and others, recruited in one calendar year, were left to wither on the vine at Celtic, only to prove their worth elsewhere. Why did Honda Civic Man take the job if he didn’t want to do the work? No wonder the squad has a hollowed out feel to it.
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Flynn
If DD said those things about Rodgers and none of it was true, then what kind of a man is Rodgers to just suck it up?
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A sober one ?
The Kasper situation reflects extremely poorly on all concerned.
Good morning all.
An Dún on 18th March 2026 9:09 am
The Kasper situation reflects extremely poorly on all concerned.
Yes indeed . Including the player himself .
Good morning CQN
Another fine day to be a Celt
Gedinte earlier … cheers.
Being part of a winning squad, in an elite organisation, overseen by a coach with an elite rep?
Presents opportunities to augment income.
Nothing incontrovertible about it, IMHO.
Loads of examples from the EPL.
15 years ago, fringe players could be scooped up for low-medium single digit millions.
These days, almost every team has one or more starters costing £40m – £50m.
Factoring the ridiculous inflation ….
… it is logical that young-ish guys who aren’t quite good enough to displace starters
… are still worth £20m – £25m.
Logical, not necessarily true.
Arsenal have done this very well in the last few years.
Introduction of teenagers into first team is perceived from the outside as benevolent.
Nothing of the kind.
Arsenal have hyper extended financially in the last three years to support Arteta … and routinely sail close to FSR limits
A teenager with 500 – 1,000 minutes of first team game time can add millions to the coffers if sold.
From FSR perspective? Pure profit.
Gedinte @ 6:12am
Rodgers IS an elite level manager, and his Honda Civic remarks should not be derided.
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Think I’ll bite on another of yours, Ged.
IMHO – it 100% should be derided.
I was drawn to your comment above.
For me, the key words are not “Rodgers”, “elite” or even “Honda Civic”
… but “remarks”.
A coach’s first responsibility is to his players
Not the board, not himself, not even the fans
But to the guys who he essentially instructs every week
“Go out there and do what I say knowing that, in doing so, there will be suffering along the way in pursuit of glory”
I have no issue with Brendan Rodgers thinking “Honda Civics” – none whatsoever.
Saying it publicly? A betrayal.
He was totally hacked off. I get it.
But he lost it with those remarks.
The context of his remarks should not be lost on Battlefield Brendan … which has formed like the Western Front since he left.
What Brendan actually said
“You can’t be given the keys to a Honda Civic and drive it like a Ferrari”
His use of an object verb, “given” is telling.
It was about him and his difficulties.
As someone said here recently – history will be kind to Brendan.
I largely agree.
But he’ll carry “Honda Civics” with him for the rest of his career.
A stunning beauty queen with a plook on the end of her nose.
A few months ago a poster (apologies can’t recall who) summed up Brendan brilliantly, IMHO.
An elite coach with character flaws.
He was pursued and hired twice … I’m really glad he came … both times.
He resigned twice. Neither circumstance was great but hey ho.
Celtic moves on.
Sometimes at pace.
Sometimes, like now, trudging through mud
GLENDALYSTONSILS
Absolutely. Kasper was clearly willing to flush our season down the toilet to protect his World Cup send off.
I can’t for the life of me understand why we were so willing to allow him to that.
Looking back, that Stuttgart defeat at Celtic Park may prove vital to us winning the league.
Schmeichel been lying about his fitness, managers would trust a guy with his experience to tell the truth.
It’s been clear for months that Schmeichel wasn’t at it.
Did no one have the balls to tell him he shouldn’t play?
Can someone post the names of fans/posters who want us to lose this season? With evidence.
Infantile pish.
It’s only a matter of time when someone comes on here….
and claims that the Celtic Board should shoulder some responsibility…
No?
I see what you did there.
Played 😂👏👏
Re Kasper, given his diagnosis, I’m not for recriminations.
A great goalie who we were – for a good while – lucky to have kept goal for us (hat-tip to BR).
Again, I can’t believe he was trying to do us wrong; just trying to do all he could to keep playing for club & country.
He has my best wishes for facing the surgery and recovering in a way that works for him and for our Celtic.
Awrrabest and good luck big Kasper !
Agreed Quad.
I don’t know the details.
My gut reaction?
Brendan signed an older experienced keeper.
It was a really good move all round.
Well done Brendan, well done Kasper.
Kasper enhanced the team and the group
He got older still
He got injured
He came back older still & previously injured
And wasn’t so hot.
He got injured.
He retired.
The king is dead and all that …
Players just want to play . Kasper wouldn’t be the first to assure his manager he was fit and ready to play while knowing that it wasn’t 100% true .
Although quite why the coaching staff ignored the evidence of their own eyes in several matches is baffling .
Anyone who thinks a seasoned pro like KS, who excelled at the top level and for us, was, in some way, deliberately trying to sabotage us, for his own benefit, is doing the man an enormous disservice.
He was excellent for till injury, probably a recurring injury, affected his performances.
I still can’t believe those entitled feckin morons who booed him.
They are NOT Celtic supporters, regardless if they claim to be so.
new article posted.