How big is Kyogo loss? And how do Celtic replace him?

The title Kyogo Furuhashi has received is the best one to have ever been given to him, the best since Henrik Larsson, despite not being thrown around too frequently by Celtic fans in the last 20 years.

Any striker wearing green and white is unlikely to ever achieve the level of awe that the Swede still possesses today.

However, Kyogo had carved out a special place in the Parkhead faithful with his goals, game intelligence, and infectious personality.

The Scottish champions must now fill the void left by a player who had a habit of scoring big goals in big games as well.

Kyogo established himself as a hero for the big occasion with his debut season with Celtic, which included two sublime performances in the 2-1 League Cup final victory over Hibernian at Hampden.

Rangers will undoubtedly be pleased to see him’s back. In 17 derby matches, Kyogo scored eight times, four of them match-winners.

No player has scored more than Kyogo’s 63 Scottish Premiership goals since he was acquired by Vissel Kobe’s Ange Postecoglou in 2021, with Lawrence Shankland from Heart of Midlothian coming in second with a score of 51.

After scoring 20 and 34 goals in Postecoglou’s first two seasons, the scoring rate has dropped to 19 goals in 2023-24 and 12 goals in 32 games overall.

In the upcoming week or so of this transfer window, it is improbable that Celtic won’t make a move for a new striker.

There are other options in the building – but not a like-for-like replacement.

The Republic of Ireland striker Adam Idah signed for a big sum of money this summer, but he hasn’t scored in 14 games and has only allowed the winner against Young Boys on Wednesday.

He has pace and power and, while at 23 years old he has time to come good, he does not possess Kyogo’s movement or deadly finishing ability.

Daizen Maeda, a regular left-winger for Japan, frequently plays through the middle, and Jota’s anticipated return may pave the way for Maeda to assume that central role.

However, because of how valuable his work in the channels is to Celtic play, which involves using Maeda in pivotal roles and hassling them with his pace when they are out of possession, Maeda may be helping to solve one problem by creating another.

After scoring goals on loan at Shamrock Rovers during his first season on loan, Johnny Kenny has since made his mark in the first-team.

What do you make of Celtic’s decision to sell Kyogo?

What will be his biggest loss? And how might Brendan Rodgers take his place?