‘Failed to compete’ Oh Hyun-gyu still ‘profitable’ for Celtic

Celtic are set to sell Hyun-Kyu Oh for more than they paid for him.

Sasha Tavolieri, a journalist familiar with the Belgian news, said on March 13 (KST), “Henk is confident of signing Oh Hyun-gyu. A long-term contract has been agreed. The club wants to finalize the deal for a base fee of €5 million with options. Negotiations between the clubs are ongoing.”

Negotiations moved quickly. Paul O’Keefe, a reporter for the British publication Football Insider, reported on the 13th that “Celtic striker Oh Hyun-gyu will undergo a medical at Henk. A deal has been agreed between the two clubs and the striker did not train on Friday and traveled to Belgium.”

An official is expected soon. Celtic benefited from selling him. Stefan McGowan, a reporter for Scotland’s Daily Mail, said, “Celtic will receive £4.5 million (about 80 million won) for the sale of Oh Hyun-gyu. They spent £2.5 million (about 4.4 billion won) to sign him last year.”

Oh Hyun-gyu rose to prominence at Suwon Samsung. In the latter half of the 2022-23 season, he received interest from Scottish league’s ‘prestigious’ Celtic and completed the transfer. He received a lot of attention from fans in Korea. Although it was not a major league, Celtic itself had some recognition in Korea. Celtic is a team that has formed a “two-tier system” in the Scottish league alongside Rangers, and is also a competitive team in the UEFA Champions League (UCL). The team is also familiar to fans in Korea, as they have had players like Ki Sung-yueng and Cha Doo-ri.

When Oh joined Celtic, he quickly established himself. Although he wasn’t immediately utilized as a powerhouse due to the presence of a great striker in Kyogo Furuhashi, he improved his game by playing every game. He also made the most of his limited playing time. 21 appearances, including cup competitions. Despite playing less than 600 minutes, mostly as a substitute, he scored seven goals and helped Celtic win the Domestic Treble.

More was expected of him in the 2023-24 season. With the 메이저사이트 addition of Yang Hyun-joon and Kwon Hyuk-kyu, the synergy of the Korean league looked set to be unleashed.

But the competition wasn’t easy. In 2023-24, he played a full season, but his role was further reduced. He played 26 games, including cup competitions, but scored just five goals and saw his minutes dwindle. Towards the end of the season, he was even dropped from the roster altogether.

Negative reports began to emerge. In May, Scottish newspaper The Sun reported that “Brendan Rodgers is looking to reshuffle his squad for Champions League qualification and Oh will not be given a chance next season. He could also send Kwon Hyuk-gyu back to St. Mirren after a successful loan spell.”

This is where the Henk transfer rumors come in. The Daily Record reported in June that “Henk are keen on signing Celtic striker Oh Hyun-Gyu. Belgian sources have confirmed that talks have already begun regarding a potential transfer. “Feyenoord are keen to sign Oh Hyun-gyu. They have identified him as one of their priority targets. It remains to be seen whether it will be a loan or a permanent move, depending on Celtic’s stance.” Now, a month later, the Henk transfer is close to materializing.

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