The Celtic fan favorite is presently with Birmingham City in the English Championship
Birmingham City manager Chris Davies claims that some of his Blues players are struggling to identify the small runs of the Celtic favourite he signed this summer.
Kyogo captivated the hearts and minds of many at Parkhead after arriving from Vissel Kobe in the Ange Postecoglou. Overall, he scored 85 goals in 165 games before joining Ligue 1 club Rennes earlier this year, but his transition to France was disastrous, with only six appearances without a goal.
Davies, an ex-Celtic player, has now added the Japanese international to his Birmingham City squad, who joined the Championship side after winning League One. However, he was benched for a friendly against Nottingham Forest, competing for starting positions with players such as Jay Stansfield, who scored in the 1-0 victory. Davies reveals that Kyogo’s new teammates are having trouble recognizing when the star is making his usual quick runs, which Celtic supporters have come to appreciate.
How Kyogo is settling in at Birmingham City
In an interview with Birmingham Live, the former Celtic coach stated, “We analyze every minute of every game and try to emphasize things, and he makes very, very nice runs, and he does them frequently. He has gone missing on occasion, but I want him to keep running and playing with that energy. You can see that he is swift. There was one where he pressured the goalkeeper and demonstrated his change of pace.
“It’s still new for Kyogo to be in a new nation, league, and team, but you could see what attributes he has with his movement and pace, and he’s a very excellent finisher, even though we haven’t given him many chances in pre-season.
“We anticipated he would be sharp when he first returned, but then he picked up a minor niggle. He played some good minutes, and I thought he was great. “Typical Jay, very energetic, and the quality was there for the goal.”
Why did Birmingham City sign Kyogo
Davies said last month about signing the former Celtic striker: “If you had told me that a year ago, I would have said absolutely no chance because he was Celtic’s striker, but we saw an opportunity with him not quite settling in France and thought we could get him here, and he believed in what we were doing. I’ve been impressed by his quickness and both foot finishes, but he’s only played 30 minutes in a training game and 60 minutes here (a Burton Albion friendly), so his fitness is gradually improving.
“He is a player that fits the style I want to play. He can press, is aggressive and quick, and has excellent finishing skills. We need to truly work with him to comprehend him. Every Celtic side he has played for will be slightly different from the one I’m putting out there.”
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