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| Celtic's forward Oh Hyeon-gyu poses with his new shirts during his signing ceremony with the Scottish club, Jan. 25. / Captured from Celtic's webpage |
By John Duerden
It has been some time since South Korea had a player at Celtic. Cha Du-ri and Ki Sung-yeung are fondly remembered in Glasgow. Now there is another: Oh Hyeon-gu, who has just joined Celtic and it will be fascinating to see how he gets on in Scotland's biggest city, especially because it has become something of a Japanese enclave in Europe.
That is down to Ange Postecoglou, one of the most highly-rated coaches in the soccer world. The Australian, who led his home nation to the 2015 Asian Cup with a victory over South Korea in the final, won the Japanese title with Yokohama F.Marinos in 2019. It was not just the title that was worthy of praise but the style of play. Postecoglou wants his team to be on the front foot at all times, to attack whatever opposition they face.
He arrived at Celtic in 2021 and delivered the league title in his first season, treating the 50,000-plus fans who cram into the club's Parkhead stadium to some stunning soccer. The boss, aware that there was value for money to be found in Japan, went back to sign players such as Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate. Three more have followed since.
Oh is the first South Korean to pull on the famous green and white hoops for a decade.
"I have watched Oh for some time and he is the striker I really wanted," said Postecoglou, introducing him to Celtic fans. "Really importantly, I know that he had his heart set on joining us too and that his own perseverance has been crucial in making this deal happen, so his determination to join Celtic has been very clear," he added.
"He is a young, talented striker with great attributes and someone who is ready to take the next stage in his career ― a player who is hungry, eager to develop and to achieve success."
At 21, Oh has plenty of time to settle, learn and improve and has already demonstrated that he can score. Last season, he managed 13 goals in 36 games for Suwon Samsung Bluewings and he will be missed by his previous coach.
"Back in the summer, Hyeon-gyu said he'd received an offer from Celtic and he said he'd always dreamed of playing in Europe," Lee Byung-geun said. "As head coach of this team, I wanted him to stay put. But I also wanted to open the doors for him to live his dream. I will be rooting for him to reach the Premier League in England, which is his ultimate goal," Lee added.
That is the route taken by Ki, who then went to play at Swansea City, Sunderland and Newcastle United. All roads in Europe lead to the English Premier League these days since that is the league where many from all around the world want to play.
First though, Oh has to ensure that he impresses Scotland's former European champions Celtic, which is a truly big club, and while Scottish soccer may not be what it once was, it will be quite an education to play at such a club and under a progressive coach. It will not do his chances of adding to his one appearance for South Korea so far much harm either. It will be fascinating to see what happens next for Oh Hyeon-gyu.
