By Pearse McLaughlin
Celtic FC have completed the signing of 21-year-old striker Oh Hyeon-Gyu from Suwon Samsung Bluewings for a fee reported to be £2.5 million pounds and putting pen to paper on a 5-year contract running until the summer of 2028.
Oh Hyeon-Gyu (오현규) was born on the April 12th 2001, standing at 6 ft 1 (185cm) and weighing in at 72kg (11.3 stone) he’s more on the lean side and has no problem shrugging off defenders and skipping past defenders as he has electric pace. He’s totally different to fans’ favourite Kyogo Furuhashi but is certainly comparable with outgoing Celtic striker Georgios Giakoumakis in terms of size and build. But for me, in what I’ve seen from Oh Hyeon-Gyu he looks as if he’s got far more to his game in terms of raw pace, better hold up play, dribbling ability to get past defenders and scores different types of goals.
And at 21 years old, he’s only going to get better and for me he is similar in stature and potential ability to fellow South Korean international Hwang Hee-Chan who currently represents Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English Premier League and is a national hero having scored the goal that sent South Korea to the Last 16 of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022. The fact he didn’t hesitate unlike Cho Gue-Sung who wasn’t convinced by Celtic’s proposal and has decided to stay at Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors for another season.
These are quotes from Oh Hyeon-Gyu when asked about the possibility of joining Celtic back 30th December:
“What was reported today is true. It is not common to receive an offer from Europe like this, and Celtic, a prestigious club, gave me a good offer. I think I have a big desire to take on this opportunity.”
Oh Hyeon-Gyu was recently in the South Korean squad for the Qatar World Cup but never saw any minutes as he was competing with the likes of captain Heung Min-Son, Hwang Hee-Chan, Hwang Ui-jo and Cho Gue-Sung. Competition was fierce but being in and around the squad at only 21 years old will stand him in good stead for the next FIFA World Cup in 2026. He’s certainly at the right club to cement a starting berth in the attack for South Korea but it is no mean feat to oust Kyogo Furuhashi who has been electric this season scoring 17 goals in 20 premiership matches. Unlike Giakoumakis, Oh Hyeon-Gyu has to be patient and take his opportunity when it comes as it won’t be easy adapting to a new style of play, culture on and off the park, the language barrier and settling into his new home. It won’t be easy but the fact he has 6 Japanese teammates who will show him around and help him get settled in quickly.
His one and only appearance for the South Korean national team came back in November against Iceland in South Korea’s final warm up match before the World Cup. He came off the substitutes bench to replace Cho Gue-Sung on the 72nd minute and impressed enough to get a ticket to Qatar. He’ll be hoping to kick on and earn more caps haven risen through the ranks at international level starting from u14’s, u17’s, u18’s, u19’s, u23’s and senior level. He certainly has an eye for goal as he has scored at every level so far apart from senior level which would cap of a remarkable achievement. He has scored 11 goals in 21 games at international level and will be hoping to add to that in the near future.
In terms of club career, he certainly impressed last season for Suwon Samsung Bluewings following a 2-year loan spell at Gimcheon Sangmu whilst he served military service. Last season was his breakthrough year as he scored 11 goals in 32 K-League 1 games, as well as scoring 2 goals in 4 appearances in the K-League 1 Final B and notched a goal in 2 appearances in the K-League 1 promotion playoff to maintain their status in the top-flight. In his stint with Suwon Samsung Bluewings he scored 14 times and assisted 3 times in 53 appearances. During his time with Suwon Samsung Bluewings he picked a winner’s medal for the South Korean Cup in season 18/19.
He has shown his versatility to play on either flank if needed for Suwon Samsung Bluewings which will suit Ange Postecoglou down to the ground as he likes his players to be versatile and offer more variety to your game. But there’s no doubt he has played much of his football as a centre forward and that is where he will compete and learn off Kyogo Furuhashi.
Oh Hyeon-Gyu served his 2-year mandatory service with the South Korean military which every male must do eventually with certain exceptions. The fact that he’s got it out the way son early shows he has a mature head on his shoulders and decided to get it over with already and will be music to Celtic’s ears. During his time at Gimcheon Sangmu, he played in the K-League 1 where he played a total of 4 games and notched an impressive 2 goals and 1 assist. In the K-League 2 he saw more minutes but was less prolific scoring 5 times and racking up 3 assists in 33 appearances. In total across all competitions, he scored 9 times and got 6 assists in 40 appearances. In the process he picked his first league winners medal as Gimcheon Sangmu where crowned K-League 2 champions for season 20/21. Not a great return but was about getting minutes under his belt at such a young age and being part of a successful team will stand him in good stead.
Even at the tender age of 21, Oh Hyeon-Gyu has already tasted success in his homeland, and this will only have whetted his appetite for more trophies and at Celtic this is a strong possibility. He can add to his impressive trophy haul as soon as the February 26th in the League Cup Final against Rangers. Celtic are 9 points clear in the league and are on course for a treble winning season and Ange Postecoglou is building his squad for the title run in and I feel is Oh Hyeon-Gyu is the final piece to the jigsaw puzzle. An exciting young prospect for both Celtic and South Korea who will add depth and quality to Celtic’s attack and help the club on all fronts in their hunt for an unprecedented treble winning season.
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