Nicholas Is Right For Once. Kyogo’s Value To Celtic Isn’t Just In His Goals.

Kyogo’s exceptional performances this season were rewarded the other night when he was named the PFA Player Of The Year. Today, even Charlie Nicholas, in one of his “broken clock” moments could not help but give him deserved praise for it.

At Celtic’s own awards night, Kyogo secured a Treble, winning the one for Fans Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year, and the top Goalscorer award, which shows you just how thoroughly dominant he has been.

It’s rare to get such widespread acclaim.

With 30 goals already under his belt, he is hungry for more … it is worth noting that his value extends beyond goals, and at the weekend, I think his absence was obvious.

Oh Hyeon-gyu, who most of us do like the look of, filled in but was unable to replicate his movement and contribution although I reckon he was painfully unlucky with the shot that comes back off the post.

Let’s try to remember that Kyogo didn’t score against the Ibrox club in his first campaign; every player needs a settling in period and Oh is in the midst of his right now.

But obviously, Kyogo is the guaranteed starter right now and for obvious reasons.

He has surpassed the 50-goal mark earlier than almost every other player in our history, and is already setting his sights on reaching the impressive milestone of 100 goals … a sure sign that he’s not exactly chomping at the bit to leave.

If he hits that target that would elevate him to iconic status.

Even Nicholas has been thoroughly impressed, declaring Kyogo as the standout player in the league.

Nicholas stated, “Kyogo Furuhashi is my choice for player of the season.

His impact on Celtic is evident whether he is on the field or not. With four matches remaining this season, the Japanese striker has scored an impressive 30 goals in 47 appearances.”

Saying it like that you get the full weight of what he’s done here.

And even better when you consider that he’s hit the 50 goals in just over 70 games. But what’s most notable is that Nicholas isn’t just talking about goals; he emphasized the speed, movement, and work rate which Kyogo brings to the team, and I think we lost that at the weekend as well. That he’s our most clinical finisher wasn’t really up for debate; he’s also one of our hardest workers.

It’s a strange day when I find myself agreeing with Nicholas, but for once his analysis was right on, and I was particularly pleased that he opted to talk about the qualities other than the goals.

That’s something the guy doesn’t get recognised for enough.

If we really are looking at a striker for next season then something is in the wind, and it won’t be Kyogo leaving and it won’t be Oh going either … are we perhaps considering a change to two up front? I know there’s already an argument that we currently play with three forward players anyway, but I think it just makes good sense.

There are already subtle hints from the boss that this is something he’s contemplating, and we can only wait and see if it turns out to be correct.