Brendan Rodgers reckons he’s seeing another side of Kyogo this pre-season, suggesting that the Japanese goalscorer is set for fantastic season leading the line for Celtic.
Currently Kyogo is the ONLY striker at the club, although Adam Idah, who is NOT involved in the Norwich squad this weekend for their latest pre-season friendly (they say he’s suffering from a knock, but that’s a standard excuse), is expected to sign for Celtic before the window closes.
Rodgers is looking to have THREE strikers at the club, one being Kyogo, the other hopefully Idah and the third a younger player who can be developed. That spot was offered to Rocco Vata before he decided his future lay elsewhere, so that one remains up for grabs, maybe with a Celtic B Team star getting a chance.
So when asked at his media conference ahead of today’s game against Chelsea, about speculation in the Japanese media about Kyogo being on the move back to his homeland, the Celtic manager was quick to rule that out completely, as he noted the difference he’s already seeing in Kyogo this summer.
“He wouldn’t be up for sale, no. I’ve seen a different player over the course of pre-season. He’s been so good just from day one but he’s come back really bright, really sharp and he looks really happy.
“He’s working so hard, making the movements, making the runs, all the things we want from him. His happiness is there for everyone to see, when he’s playing and he’s scoring goals he’s always got a smile on his face.
“That’s definitely not something I want to lose,” Brendan said.
And from earlier in the summer Kyogo spoke while back in Japan about his ambitions for this season at Celtic and his desire to score more goals that he managed last time. There was certainly no indication that he was planning on a move back to the J-League anytime soon.
Here’s Brendan Rodgers speaking to the media, ahead of the Celtic v Chelsea match which sees the club’s Summer Tour on the USA come to an end, hopefully with another victory…
