It is easier said than done, but avoiding the temptation to judge players too quickly is a worthwhile pursuit – not least at a historic club like Celtic.
How often have players been almost written off from the outset, only to go on to shine after being afforded the time to properly settle in at Parkhead?
Take Nicolas Kuhn, for example, with the German winger enduring a sticky first six months in Glasgow following his arrival from Rapid Vienna, the £3m signing ending the 2023/24 campaign with just three goals and three assists to his name in 18 games in all competitions.
Fast forward to the present day, and the 25-year-old is now a central figure in Brendan Rodgers‘ side, with the wing wizard having contributed 31 goals and assists in 40 games so far this term.
It may need to be said tentatively, but perhaps the same scenario could occur with man of the moment, Yang Hyun-jun, with the 22-year-old beginning to finally make his mark for the Scottish Champions.
Yang’s recent rise at Celtic
Signed during Rodgers’ first summer back in charge, the £2m addition has certainly taken a fair while to get going for the Hoops, after scoring just once and contributing only three assists in total last season.
Firmly behind the likes of Kuhn and Daizen Maeda on the flanks, the former Gangwon starlet also endured a slow start to the current campaign, with it taking until mid-January to score his first goal in all competitions.
Since netting away at Dundee, however, the South Korean winger has begun to find his groove, notably supplying the assist for Maeda against Bayern Munich at Celtic Park, while also registering three goal involvements in the Scottish Cup win over Raith Rovers.
Equally, across his last three Premiership outings, the in-form menace has three goals and two assists to his name, with Rodgers having quipped that the forward has been aided by the presence of his girlfriend in Glasgow.
Whatever has been the inspiration for this upturn in form, long may it continue, with Rodgers certainly blessed with a wealth of options on the flanks following Jota’s January homecoming and James Forrest’s impending return from injury.
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Yang’s game in numbers vs St Mirren |
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25 minutes played |
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2 goals |
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1 assists |
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1 big chance created |
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24 touches |
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89% pass accuracy |
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2 key passes |
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0/1 successful dribbles |
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0/3 total duels won |
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5x possession lost |
That said, for all the praise that Yang has deservedly raked in of late, the Hoops did let go of a star who has actually still outscored the Korean this season.
The ex-Celtic man who’s now shining elsewhere
Life after Celtic isn’t always plain sailing – just ask Jota.
Matt O’Riley, for instance, has only started five Premier League games since making the move to Brighton and Hove Albion last summer. Kyogo Furuhashi, meanwhile, has been an unused substitute in three of Rennes’ six Ligue 1 games since his switch to France in January.
That said, not all of those who move on are cursed to struggle, with a certain Tomoki Iwata currently shining for League One highflyers, Birmingham City, following his exit from the Old Firm side over the summer.
The Japanese midfielder – who moved on to England for an undisclosed fee, reported to be just £820k – never truly managed to shake off his status as a bit-part player at Celtic, making just 42 appearances in total in his role as Callum McGregor’s understudy.
A safe and steady pair of hands in his time at Parkhead, Iwata has shown he is so much more than that for the Blues, having already chalked up seven goals in all competitions this term – ahead of Yang’s return of five.
That creditable haul includes the 27-year-old’s belting effort in the narrow FA Cup defeat to Premier League opponents, Newcastle United, last month, with the midfield maestro rifling in from range in superb fashion.
Such an impact in an attacking sense has seen the one-time Yokohama Marinos man lauded by his new boss, Chris Davies, with the promotion-chasing coach stating:
“He is dangerous. He has good technique. Obviously, we have seen it on both feet and he keeps it down and puts good power on it, accuracy, so yes, arriving on the edge of the box, he is a goalscorer.“
That attacking quality was certainly rarely on show for Celtic, as his tally of one goal can attest to, with it to Iwata’s credit that he has managed to make an impact so swiftly in his new surroundings.
Perhaps then the sale was merely the best solution for all parties, yet there might be a tinge of regret at having sold Ange Postecoglou’s signing on the cheap, not least with there still a gap in the squad for a rival or successor to McGregor.
As it is, Iwata will continue to play a prominent role in Birmingham’s bid to secure an instant return to the second tier, while for Rodgers and Co, the domestic treble still lies in wait.
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