Recently-appointed Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is reportedly set to make a strong push to bring Kyogo Furuhashi to the club – and interest in the Celtic star will come as no surprise to anyone at Parkhead.
After a lengthy, and at time fruitless search, Postecoglou is the man chosen by Daniel Levy to lead Spurs into a bright new era. And the Athens-born Australian will start with something of a blank canvas given the woeful end to the season Tottenham endured.
Indeed, following Antonio Conte’s removal from the hotseat, Tottenham went into freefall, eventually finishing the season in eighth.
That leaves them without any form of European football next season, hopefully aiding Postecoglou’s chances of making a mark.
To that end, many Tottenham fans will hope the only way is up under their barrel-chested gaffer.
As a result, he will spend the early weeks assessing exactly what additions are needed at Tottenham. And there is likely to be a strong emphasis on signing a new goalkeeper, as well as adding new faces to both midfield and defence.
Perhaps the only area of the field Tottenham excelled in last season was in attack. Harry Kane enjoyed arguably his best season yet from a personal point of view. And with all-time goalscoring records tumbling for both club and country, the talismanic frontman could do no more for his side.
However, Son Heung-min was the victim of a surprising dip in form. Dejan Kulusevski was also hampered by injuries. And while Lucas Moura signed out with a goal of the season contender, his exit leaves a gap to fill.
Tottenham to make ‘obvious’ Kyogo raid on Celtic
As a result, former Celtic star turned pundit Mark Wilson believes Postecoglou will target a move for Kyogo Furuhashi.
The Japan star has proved a revelation, firing in 54 goals in 83 appearances across his two seasons in Glasgow.
Amid claims Kyogo could be Postecoglou’s first signing in a £30m deal, Wilson has labeled him as the catalyst for Celtic’s recent success.
And speaking to The Herald, Wilson claims any move to bring him to N7 is an obvious one.
“I wouldn’t like to see any of them going out the door,” he said. “I believe they give Celtic the best chance of retaining the title against a Rangers that, in my opinion, is definitely going to be better than we’ve seen. It also gives them the best opportunity in the Champions League.
“So, none of them I would like to see leaving. But who could I see him coming for? The obvious one is Kyogo.
“Kyogo was brought in and was the catalyst for everything that happened at Celtic. Ange Postecoglou made everybody aware of that, Kyogo was the signing that kicked everything off.
“Even when you hear some of the players talking about Kyogo; the way he plays and the character he is, he really does set the tone for a Postecoglou team. You can understand why he would look at him.”
With 59 goal involvements, he has a goal contribution every 1.4 appearances for the Hoops. As such, it is easy to see why Postecoglou is keen to reunite with him at Tottenham.
And having won five of the six trophies available to him in Scotland, he may well find the lure of the Premier League too tempting. At 28, he is in the peak of his powers, while Celtic will also find a sizeable bid hard to resist.
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