"We've got Kyogo, he's doing his thing," as the chant from Celtic fans goes, perfectly encapsulates the effect the Japanese forward has had on the club since he joined last summer.
It has been well documented how Ange Postecoglou brought the 27-year-old along with him not long after joining the Hoops himself, and what a signing he has been. Furuhashi netted 20 goals last season and contributed five assists in his first campaign in Scotland, despite missing several months with a hamstring injury. If the Japanese international can stay fit, he could play an even more significant role as the Bhoys look to retain the title.
Kyogo himself has been reflecting on his targets for the season. He told Japanese outlet juji.com: "I want to score more than 20 goals, focus on what's in front of me and keep getting results, which is my appeal as a forward."
He produced several moments of brilliance last year, including a stunning double against Hibs in the League Cup final, which led to Postecoglou's crucial first trophy for the club. Other highlights included important goals home and away to AZ Alkmaar, which secured Europa League qualification for the Hoops and a memorable hattrick on his Parkhead debut against Dundee.
The 27-year-old's movement, in particular, is something that defences in Scotland have found hard to deal with so far. Kyogo's ability to find pockets of space is something that has not been seen in the SPFL for some time. In almost every game Celtic play, the Japanese international makes world-class runs. However, there is not always a pass to match the quality of his movement. Postecoglou will be hoping that now Reo Hatate appears to be back to his best, his insistence on trying always to play the ball forward will unleash his fellow countrymen.
In the opening day victory against Aberdeen, Kyogo was unable to score but still showed his quality by making these darting runs, one of which almost resulted in a goal. However, he put his attempt wide. After the game, the Hoops boss commented on how his side needs to be less wasteful going forward. He said: “It was a solid performance, but we were just wasteful in front of goal. I was disappointed because I thought we could have been a lot more clinical. Sometimes, you can fall into the trap of knowing we will create loads of opportunities, and because of that, you are not as focused as you should be. My view is we are creating opportunities, so let’s take as many as we can.”
If Kyogo can remain injury-free, he could be the man to take these goal-scoring opportunities the manager is speaking about across the season. And that's crucial because the Japanese only played 1272 minutes in a Hoops shirt last term [compared with 3150 for Cameron Carter Vickers for example].
When he wasn't disrupted by injury he was dripping with menace, registering 0.85 xG per 90 minutes in the league. Imagine he gets the whole season without interruption to wreak havoc on Premiership defences? If you double his minues you are looking at well over 40 goals a season based on previous form indicators.
Even assuming he doesn't perform to his highest standard across a larger performance base, adding an extra 10 or 15 goals on top of what he produced last year would be crucial when it comes to Celtic trying to progress in Europe or retain the Scottish Premiership. As the type of player who can find space in the box with ease, the 27-year-old is the best-placed player to produce in the big moments when needed.
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