Manchester City, which has won its first four consecutive games in English Premier League history, is considering recruiting a Japanese striker.
The main character who can be a turning point in his life is Kyogo Furuhashi (29) of Celtic. The Athletic reported on the 21st (Korea time) that Manchester City is considering recruiting Celtic striker Furuhashi as a replacement for Julián Alvarez.
Alvarez, who was blinded by Elling Holan's shadow, also recently transferred Spain's Atletico Madri. Alvarez signed for Manchester City in January 2022. The contract lasted five and a half years. He entered the EPL in the 2022-2023 season after spending the rest of the season with his former team, River Plate.
Holan was also confirmed to move to Manchester City in May of that year. I joined on July 1st. The contract is for five years. Man City was practically a world of holans. Alvarez appeared in 31 games in his first season in the EPL, but only 13 starts. He scored nine goals.
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On the other hand, Holan started 33 out of 35 EPL games and scored a whopping 36 goals. Alvarez played in 36 EPL games last season. Holan's injury was a chance for him. He started 31 games, scoring 11 goals and 9 assists. However, Holan scored 27 goals and 5 assists in 31 games (29 starts).
Alvarez's pain is another. Holan was the main player on the big stage such as the European Champions League. Alvarez eventually managed to escape Manchester City.
Man City need Holan's 'backup' replacement. Furuhashi's name appeared.
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Furuhashi is none other than Tottenham manager Enze Postecoglou. He played for Vissel Kobe in the J-League and settled for Celtic in July 2021 for a transfer fee of 4.6 million pounds (about 8 billion won). This is the resource that Postecoglou recruited immediately after taking the helm of Celtic.
Furuhashi was recognized for his potential by scoring 20 goals in 33 appearances in his first season. It exploded during the 2022-2023 season. He scored 34 goals in 50 matches, including 27 in the Scottish League. He also won the player of the year award selected by the players.
Naturally, clubs in five European leagues, including Italy, Germany, France and Spain, as well as the EPL, paid attention to Furuhashi. But his choice was Celtic. Furuhashi signed a four-year contract renewal in July last year.
Furuhashi had fewer offensive points last season. He has scored 19 goals in 50 appearances in all tournaments, including 14 in the Scottish League.
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"The Athletic" was "Furuhashi's skepticism on the Scottish stage about his small frame, but he immediately tackled the defenders on their shoulders and scored his first goal to calm his worries." He was energized in the final third, and became a master of scoring with a cutback. He said, "'He will suit Manchester City with this type of goal' 'He also has the finishing ability. However, he explained that he had difficulties in the European Champions League, and he is an ideal striker in a game where Celtic dominated.
Furuhashi, on the other hand, is 'Chanbap Shinse' in the Japanese national team. He was controversially excluded from the final entry for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Furuhashi, who made his A-match debut in 2019, scored five goals in 21 games.
In June last year, when rumors of a transfer to Tottenham were being raised, he was called up to the Japanese national team for the first time in 16 months, but was excluded from the Qatar Asian Cup held earlier this year. He did not play in any of this year's A matches.
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Pep Guardiola has been giving compliments to Korean players. Regarding Son Heung-min (Tottenham) during his visit to Korea last summer, "He is an excellent player. He is doing well, entering Europe from Korea. He is a fantastic player."
Last season, he had a relationship with Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton). Guardiola called Hwang Hee-chan a threat before the game against Wolverhampton because he did not remember his name and called him `The Korean Guy.' Later, Hwang Hee-chan scored against Manchester City to give his team a victory, and after the game, Guardiola admitted his performance by answering exactly "Hwang".
However, chances are high that the first Asian player to receive direct guidance from him on the first-team stage will be a Japanese player, not South Korea.
