The 2024 summer window was a pretty quiet one for Manchester City in terms of incomings.
Pep Guardiola‘s side won the Premier League for the fourth time in a row back in May, and the squad was in a very good place.
The were departures for Sergio Gomez and Julian Alvarez, with Savinho and Ilkay Gundogan arriving from Troyes and Barcelona respectively.
The departure of Alvarez did raise some eyebrows. The Argentine may not have been a regular starter for City, but he did chip with goals and assists at least semi-regularly.
Many wondered if Manchester City would swoop to sign a direct replacement – and one man who was mentioned was Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi.
Kyogo had scored against City for Celtic when the sides met in pre-season in the US, and seemingly the Japan international made a lasting impression, with reports suggesting he was under consideration.
In the end, City decided against making an approach and Kyogo stayed at Celtic.
Sunday was his first start for the club since those transfer links – and it was a very good showing indeed from him.
‘Sensational’ Kyogo Furuhashi sends message to Man City with display for Celtic in Old Firm Derby
City fans will undoubtedly back Pep in his decision not to replace Alvarez directly.
Gundogan has come back to the club, and we all know that he can push forward and be effective in the box. The German can also operate deep and provide cover for Rodri.
Some had really come round to the idea of the club moving for Kyogo though, who has been a real hit for Celtic since his move there in 2021 on Ange Postecoglou’s watch from Vissel Kobe.
On Sunday, Celtic and Rangers squared off in the first Old Firm Derby of the season up in Scotland, and it was a convincing 3-0 win for Celtic, who have won four out of four so far.
Kyogo thought he had given Celtic the lead in the 10th minute after tapping home Callum McGregor’s cross. But McGregor was offside from Reo Hatate’s ball through.
After Daizen Maeda had put Celtic 1-0 up, Kyogo did then get his goal. He found space between the lines and fired a brilliant low finish into the bottom far corner from around 25 yards out.
It was a top all-round display from the 29-year-old, with the Scottish Sun giving him a 9/10 for his display.
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton said after the game on X: “Celtic outstanding. McGregor ran the show once again. Kyogo sensational. Rangers were lucky it was only 3. A total demolition. I’m worried for Rangers…”
Time will tell if City should have bid for Kyogo
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This was certainly a statement performance from Kyogo against Rangers, and it is going to be really interesting to see if he turns out to be a player City will regret not trying to sign.
In the end, City didn’t make any attempt to sign Kyogo, who was apparently priced at around £20 million (via Daily Mail). This would have been easily affordable for City given how much the club recouped in sales this summer.
But the club merely considered him briefly, before deciding to stick with what they had and move for Gundogan.
Not only was Kyogo a big threat for Celtic all game against Rangers, he also tracked back to defend in his won box at one point, and that kind of work rate would surely see him fit right in at City.
Time will tell if City will regret not signing him. Hopefully, Erling Haaland can stay fit and continue to bang in the goals, with others like Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden chipping in.
