Celtic head coach Wilfried Nancy has been let down by the finishing on display from his players in recent matches, as they have not made the most of the chances that they have created.
Johnny Kenny, for example, missed four ‘big chances’ from nine shots on goal against Dundee United and Aberdeen in the last two Scottish Premiership matches, per Sofascore.
The Ireland international is yet to get on the scoresheet for the new head coach, although he did assist Daizen Maeda’s goal against Dundee United, and his struggles could see movement in the January transfer window.
Why Celtic need to sign a new centre-forward
Nancy should be pushing the board to recruit a new starting-quality centre-forward before the end of the January transfer window, which opens next week.
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This is because Kenny has not proven himself to be a reliable option in front of goal. Per Sofascore, he has scored four goals and missed nine ‘big chances’ in the Premiership this season, illustrating just how wasteful he has been in the final third.
On top of the Irishman’s struggles on the pitch, Kelechi Iheanacho has struggled to be fit to be on the pitch. The summer signing is currently out with his second muscle injury of the campaign and has only featured four times in the league this season.
This means that Nancy does not currently have a single reliable senior centre-forward option, which is why the club must sign one next month.
Football Insider recently reported that the Hoops have registered an interest in bringing Kyogo Furuhashi back to the club from Birmingham City, although it remains to be seen whether or not the English side would be open to doing a deal.
Why Celtic should re-sign Kyogo Furuhashi
The Scottish giants should push to convince the Blues to part ways with the Japan international, because he could be exactly what Nancy needs to finally drop Kenny from the team.
Kyogo currently finds himself on the bench at Birmingham, with no goals in 19 Championship games, and Celtic should look to take advantage of his poor form in England to bring him back to Scotland.
The experienced forward was sold to Rennes for £10m at the start of this year, and they must now bring him back to Parkhead to be the reliable goalscorer that Nancy currently lacks.
At the time of his exit from Parkhead midway through last season, Kyogo had scored ten goals in the Premiership for Brendan Rodgers – six more than any Celtic striker has managed to date in the current campaign, per Sofascore.
The former Hoops hero, who was described as “outstanding” by Ange Postecoglou, is a proven goalscorer who has shown that he can be the number one option for the Scottish giants, having scored goals consistently across four seasons at Parkhead.
The Japan international enjoyed a prolific spell with Celtic before his move to Rennes at the start of this year, which is why his struggles for Birmingham should not put anyone off.
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Kyogo could get back to his best in a familiar environment, albeit with a different manager, as he has already played and thrived alongside the likes of Reo Hatate, Callum McGregor, Arne Engels, and Daizen Maeda, among others.
The 30-year-old marksman would be the perfect first signing for Nancy in January because he would be a terrific signing in a position that is in dire need of improvement, given his previous experience and proven quality in Scotland.
Kenny, unfortunately, does not look up to the task of leading the line as the first-choice number nine for Celtic, given his finishing woes and lack of goals this season, and that is why signing Kyogo should be a priority heading into the transfer window.
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It is now down to the board to convince Birmingham to do a deal with them, whether that is a loan or a permanent one, in order to bolster Nancy’s squad for the second half of the season, allowing him to ditch Kenny from the starting line-up for good.