Man City, West Ham or Liverpool? The Premier League clubs Kyogo could join in January

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 21 Dec 2021 20:36 GMT
• 4 min read

Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi has been gathering plenty of attention since his move to Scotland, and reports have suggested that there's concrete interest from the Premier League.

Kyogo, who only joined Celtic from Vissel Kobe this summer, has already scored 16 goals and assisted five in just 25 games in all competitions this season, and that form has caught the eye of Premier League scouts.

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The Scottish Premiership has been a popular breeding ground for English top flight talent, with plenty of stars being signed after impressive spells north of the border.

Kyogo could be the latest to make the switch, with former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin tipping the Japanese international for a Premier League move.

Nevin, who trained with Celtic as a youngster before being rejected, spoke on the Off the Ball podcast about Kyogo, and where he could end up next.

"If you put Furuhashi in a good team he scores plenty of goals," said Nevin. "I really do think that. He’s not the tallest, but I think if you look in the Premier League and the best teams, do you need to be the tallest? You need to be somebody that’s got great movement in and around the box. Pacey and an intelligent player. So Furuhashi is all those things."

"There’s a lot of clubs that will be watching him right this second. I think he’d be best suited for a Liverpool or a Manchester City. He’d work really, really well there. I suspect he would probably have to take a step before he made that one. He would go to one of the other clubs lower down the table, similar to the way Van Dijk did. From Southampton to Liverpool," he concluded.

Who could Kyogo join?

A January move may be too soon, but given Kyogo's form, he appears to be ready for a step up.

Celtic won't want to sell, but given they paid less than £5 million to sign him, turning a profit in six months would be seen as effective business.

In regards to who could sign Kyogo, it seems unlikely, as Nevin said, that one of the very top Premier League sides take a gamble on him, but those a little lower will certainly be sniffing around.

With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang set to leave Arsenal, the Gunners need reinforcements for their forward line, and Kyogo could provide that.

Furthermore, Newcastle United may be interested given their lack of goals so far this season. Despite their new owners, they are staring down the barrel of relegation, so something needs to change. However, with Callum Wilson already at the club, other areas are more of a priority.

West Ham would also be a potential destination for the Celtic man. Michail Antonio needs a rest, which is evident by his complete drop-off in form recently that's seen him score just once in 11 Premier League games, and none in the past eight.

With David Moyes' side pushing for a top four finish and competing in the Europa League, another striker is a must in January; Kyogo could be perfect.

The final club who could use Kyogo is Brighton & Hove Albion. The Seagulls are a possession-heavy side, but Graham Potter has been unable to translate domination into points throughout his career at The Amex. They haven't won a league game since September, and have failed to score more than one goal in every game since their 2-2 draw with Liverpool at the end of October. Kyogo's clinical finishing would prove vital for the south coast side, and provide the missing piece of the puzzle that Potter has been constructing.

Kyogo will have plenty of options in the Premier League during the January window, but the question remains whether Celtic will let him leave halfway through the season.