Brigit Adongo
Kyogo Furuhashi was vocal about his EPL aspirations during a recent interview in Japan, and his statements didn’t sit well with Leeds match-day commentator, Noel Whelan.
Regarding Kyogo’s talks about a possible future in England when he has barely played at Celtic, Whelan didn’t just think it showed lack of focus. He thought it disrespectful.
The Japanese striker reportedly said it was motivating to see some of the many players who went from Scotland to England doing well and hoped good results at Celtic would help him make that leap too. “Many players go from Scotland to the EPL. It’s motivating to see them do well…Good results could open that path for me,” Furuhashi reportedly said.”
A former player in Scotland, Whelan seemed irked by Kyogo’s “insensitive” statements and went on to admonish the act on his platform at Football Insider. He advised that Kyogo should work well at Celtic and let his (Kyogo’s) results bring him both speculations and offers.
“If he does his job right, then speculation will come his way,” said Whelan, who also observed that Celtic would feel bad hearing Furuhashi’s words when he still hasn’t done anything for them. “The last thing that Celtic would want to hear now is him talking about the EPL…”
Whelan agreed that wanting to play in the EPL wasn’t wrong, only stating that the 26-year old Japanese had just signed with Celtic and should concentrate on his job there.
Though the former Derby County academy coach’s opinions are justified, it is important to note that Kyogo didn’t just wake up ranting about the EPL; he answered a question he was asked about a move to England. So, it is unclear whether Noel’s opinion is just that, or a move to stir up some trouble.
