It’s fair to say that Celtic have hit the jackpot several times when dipping into the South Korean and Japanese markets to sign new talent in recent years.
The likes of Daizen Maeda, Hyun-jun Yang, and Reo Hatate in the current squad hail from those countries, along with former Hoops stars Tomoki Iwata and Kyogo Furuhashi.
Unfortunately, the Scottish Premiership giants are still trying to replace Kyogo, despite the fact that they sold him 18 months ago to Rennes for £10m.
The Japanese international scored 85 goals in 165 games in all competitions during his time at Parkhead, after joining Vissel Kobe as one of Ange Postecoglou’s first signings in the summer of 2021.
Since his departure, the club has failed to sign a single striker who has scored two goals in the Premiership in the past two campaigns.
Celtic are eyeing a deal to sign the Japanese defender
Kyogo emerged from the J1 League and hit his stride at Parkhead as a lethal goalscorer in Scottish football, netting 34 goals in the 2022/23 campaign alone.
Now, the club is reportedly looking for a new player to follow in Kyogo’s footsteps if he moves to Scotland.
According to 67HailHail reporter Martin Crawford, Celtic are “close behind” Kawasaki Frontale striker, Soma Kanda, before continuing his career in the summer transfer window.
The reporter says a move away from Japan could be on the cards for the 20-year-old, even though he hasn’t been a regular scorer lately.
A report from 67HailHail says that the Hoops are investigating a deal to sign the young striker, and that he may face competition from English Championship teams.
It adds that Kanda is currently studying English in preparation for a move to the United Kingdom, which could help him settle quickly at Parkhead should he move to Glasgow ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
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The Scottish giants could reveal their next form of Kyogo by winning the Championship in order to secure a deal with the Japanese label in the coming weeks.
A return of two goals in 22 first-team appearances for Kawasaki Frontale does not immediately suggest he will be a threat to Celtic next season, but there is more to him than meets the eye.
Kanda failed to score in eight games in the J1 League in the 2026 campaign, starting one of those games, but his stats below suggest the goals will follow.
|
2026 J1 League |
Kanda is 90 |
Position vs CFs |
|---|---|---|
|
Goals |
0.00 |
down 1% |
|
xG |
0.77 |
Top 4% |
|
Shots |
4.74 |
Top 1% |
|
Shots on target |
1.89 |
Top 4% |
|
Head shots |
1.89 |
Top 1% |
|
xG on the target |
0.90 |
Top 1% |
All of his underwhelming numbers in front of goal have put him among the best strikers in the J1 League, and only a brilliant goalkeeper seems to be stopping him from producing goals at first-team level this year.
His figures of 90 suggest he has the potential to explode as a goalscorer if given the opportunity to play regular football in a team that creates more chances, as Kyogo did during his time in Glasgow in Postecoglou’s attack-minded side.
Martin O’Neill could give the 20-year-old a platform to find his footing at the top level by giving him the chance to succeed at a club that creates plenty of goalscoring opportunities for the striker.
Kanda’s record at youth level in Japan also lends itself to the notion that he will score goals whenever he is placed in the right position at Parkhead.
The Celtic target scored 22 goals in 33 games for Shizuoka Gakuen High School before stepping up to play in the J1 League, showing that he can be a consistent and lethal goalscorer, as his stats in 90 suggest.
It would be a risky move, as Kanda is yet to establish himself consistently in the first team, but the youngster appears to have the quality and potential to become O’Neill’s version of Kyogo at Parkhead if he can take the next step in his career.
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