We’ve been pretty lucky with striker recruitment in the last seven or so years as a club. Critics, and I include myself in that category, will say you’re bound to get it right occasionally by pure fluke, when you look at the sheer volume of forwards we’ve brought to the club in that time.
I don’t really get the feeling the greatest minds in football recruitment are using the latest AI algorithms and computer programs to uncover the sharpest striker talent. Less Wyscout and more, “Why Scout?”.
The benchmark for Celtic strikers has always been Henrik Larsson, untouchable, a god. We’ve had countless players labelled as “the new such & such” but we’ve never come close to anyone being called “the new Larsson”, it’s always “the best since…”.
Leigh Griffiths chalked up a famous 40 goal season and yet he was never seriously compared to Henrik. Fellow countryman John Guidetti briefly showed us glimpses of real attacking talent but he never hung around long enough to make a more tangible mark.
Moussa Dembele arrived in the summer of 2016 and he was probably the first player you could legitimately say was “the best since Larsson”. When he was replaced by Edouard, the discussion then turned to which of the two Frenchmen were the better.
So who is “the best since Larsson?”
Dembele? Edouard? Do we go as far back as Gary Hooper?
No. It’s Kyogo Furuhashi.
It’s clear to see why Ange brought him here and you don’t need the data and the algorithms to see the pure talent on display. Perpetual motion up front, finishing ability with any part of the body, the desire to get into goal scoring positions.
I don’t need anymore time to see him, my mind is made up. He’s a generational talent, who will be to today’s youngsters what Henrik was to us. He’s already iconic and he’s only been in the door 5 minutes.
It barely needs said that there will never be another Henrik Larsson. Not just for the quantity of goals he scored but staying power is nowadays unheard of, football has changed. That’s why we will only ever see “the best since”.
Kyogo’s ambitions lie beyond Celtic and Scotland, for most players they do, and that’s when we most appreciate them but I’m convinced what we’ve got here is The Best Striker Since Henrik Larsson.
Enjoy him.
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