Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - January 14, 2023. Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou.
Pundit Tam McManus believes Celtic supporters should be very excited by the club’s latest signing, Oh Hyeon-gyu.
The Lowdown: Oh arrives
Parkhead chiefs have been busy during the winter window, with Oh becoming the club’s fourth addition of 2023. The forward has signed from Suwon Samsung Bluewings in a transfer that has cost Celtic in the region of £2.5m.
He looks set to replace Giorgos Giakoumakis in the long run, with the Greek striker heavily linked with a Hoops exit, potentially to MLS outfit Atlanta United or Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds.
The Latest: McManus’ comments
Talking to Football Insider, McManus gave his thoughts on the club’s latest move, describing it as ‘another exciting one’. He said he’s watched clips of the forward in action and believes he ‘ticks a lot of boxes for Celtic’.
“You have to trust the manager.
“When you look at the players he has brought in from Asia, Japan especially, the majority of them have been a big success.
“He’s 21 years old, he’s signed a five-year deal and the fee was about £2.5million. So, again, if he comes in and hits the ground running, scores a lot of goals like Kyogo then there will be a lot of clubs looking at him.
“Celtic will then have bids coming in. I’ve seen a YouTube video of him, it’s hard to tell because even I look half-decent on YouTube.
“He looks like he enjoys the physical aspects of the game, he puts himself about. I don’t think he is one who is going to be lightweight.
“He ticks a lot of boxes for Celtic. Ange seemed to be desperate to get him in so it’s another exciting one for those fans.”
The Verdict: Fingers crossed
Overall, Celtic’s recruitment over the last 18 months has been solid under Postecoglou, with the club finding some real gems in Kyogo Furuhashi, Matt O’Riley and Reo Hatate.
Those three all feature in Celtic’s top ten performers this season, as per WhoScored, with Carl Starfelt and Jota topping the charts, both of which were also signed with Postecoglou in charge.
Therefore, you can see why McManus thinks supporters should be excited by Oh’s arrival, with the forward still just 21 years of age and scoring 14 times in 53 games for his former side.
Hopefully, he’ll hit the ground running and provide fierce competition to Kyogo, which in time, will see a £2.5m deal looked back on as another smart one.
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