It’s been almost 18 months since Celtic allowed Kyogo Furuhashi to leave for Rennes, and it has to be said that the £10m sale of the Japanese striker didn’t work out for anyone.
The 31-year-old failed to score in France before joining Birmingham City six months later, having finished 2025/26 with his lone goal for England’s second team.
As for those who have returned from Parkhead, a number of strikers have been signed, however Shin Yamada is the only one who has managed to command a transfer fee, with compatriot Kyogo sent out on loan in January after failing to score at all in Glasgow.
Daizen Maeda’s heroics in the end were enough to drag Martin O’Neill’s men to the title line no matter what, but persisting outside the elite, the best number nine is not easy.
Thankfully, the arrival of Camilo Duran from Qarabag could help change that.
The way Duran played in the Champions League last season
For a reported fee of £6m, Duran will join Celtic as the first summer signing under O’Neill, the Colombian having recently scored 25 goals in 45 games for Azerbaijan.
A versatile striker who can operate on the right or in the middle, it was as a striker that the left foot proved to be the most dangerous last season, at least in the Champions League.
In just 10 league outings, the 24-year-old scored five goals as Qarabag reached the play-offs, missing just three ‘big chances’ and boasting a 25% goal-scoring rate.
In the competition last year, Kyogo scored just once in seven games, missed three ‘big chances’ himself and had a goal conversion rate of just 10%.
The £6m man’s latest record highlights the impact he can make if Celtic are to book their place in the Champions League on merit, with his five goals against Benfica, Ajax, Eintracht Frankfurt and Newcastle United.
Duran’s finish in Lisbon was particularly eye-catching, bursting past the left-hand post, before slotting home from an angle in spectacular style.
Looks can be deceiving, but first impressions are good, as Duran appears to be from all over the front line, a player with a good combination of pace and tricks.
He is something O’Neill currently lacks, but is he the right number nine the Hoops need?
Why Celtic could still sign an upgrade on Duran
Speaking this week, following Celtic’s clash with Shelbourne before the new season, O’Neill made it clear that he is still looking for another striker in this building, someone who can be as brutal in front of goal.
“I think of him [Durán] we can link play and things like this, but I think we can probably do with someone who can put the ball in the net.”
O’Neill has also revealed that he is keen to bring Kelechi Iheanacho back into the fold, with Anthony Joseph of Sky Sports having since confirmed that the club are in talks over a new deal for the Nigerian.
Currently out of contract after his contract expired last month, Iheanacho may still have a future in Glasgow, with O’Neill keen to seal the deal quickly, to give the 29-year-old a full pre-season.
As the Hoops boss admitted, Duran may be a pacy mediator, but he’s the real killer Celtic need in front of goal, with the likes of shooting Iheanacho likely to provide that.’s Anh’s Anh.
Of course, Duran has scored 15 goals back in Azerbaijan, but having scored six top goals before that, he is still finding his feet in terms of being a consistent, clinical presence in front of goal.
Iheanacho has his problems, no doubt, but when he was wheeled out last season, he was very effective, looking back at a player who scored 61 goals in 232 games for Leicester City, or 21 in just 64 for Manchester City.
|
Iheanacho Career Record |
||
|---|---|---|
|
The club |
Games |
Goals |
|
Leicester |
232 |
61 |
|
Man City |
64 |
21 |
|
Celtic |
24 |
9 |
|
Boro |
15 |
1 |
|
Sevilla |
11 |
3 |
|
in Nigeria |
58 |
15 |
The legs may not be what they used to be, but the boy knows how to finish, finishing 2025/26 with nine goals in all competitions, despite only 24 appearances.
A cult hero, particularly with his crucial penalties at Kilmarnock and Motherwell, Iheanacho scored one goal every 99 minutes in the Premiership, boasting a 25% conversion rate.
Duran eclipsed that five-goal tally after scoring nine in Azerbaijan’s top flight, yet scored once every 233 minutes, with a goal conversion rate of just 12%.
That suggests that if O’Neill can get Iheanacho up to speed, the former Foxes star could be the go-to man in attack at all times, with Iheanacho proving effective in the midfield and early stages last season.
Cool and composed in front of goal, so deadly on that left foot, you have to say the domestic double wouldn’t have been achieved without him.
