Celtic Sign Oh Hyeon-gyu from Suwon Samsung Bluewings

It was announced on the 25th of January, that Celtic acquired the services of Suwon Samsung Bluewings' forward Oh Hyeon-gyu on a five-year contract. The big move comes after a couple of weeks of speculation of either himself or Jeonbuk Hyundai Motor's forward Cho Gue-sung making the move to Glasgow. 

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has brought in a few players from the J League, using his knowledge from his time as the boss at Yokohama F. Marinos. However, this will be the first Korean K League player to make the move to the Scottish Premiership in 13 years. Michael Redmond takes a closer look at the transfer below.

Player Details

Date of Birth: April 12th, 2001

Height: 185cm

Place of Birth: Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea 

Position: Centre Forward, Also known to play Right Winger and Attacking Midfield

Style of Play: Powerful and direct. Scrappy on winning the ball and finds a lot of space on the pitch.

Honours: 2019 Korean FA Cup (Suwon Samsung Bluewings), 2021 K League 2 (Gimcheon Sangmu)

 

His Time in The K League

Oh Hyeon-gyu was part of the Suwon Samsung Bluewings youth set-up since 2014. The 21-year-old has made his way into the first team in 2019. Oh completed his military duty with Sangju Sangmu/Gimcheon Sangmu in 2020 and half of the 2021 season. 

Oh Hyun-kyu managed 13 goals in 36 games for Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the 2022 K League 1 season.

He made his way back to Suwon in the second half of the 2021 season and has been a part of the squad ever since. Last year was his best season in a Suwon shirt with 13 goals in 36 games. This also included a 120th minute goal to keep Suwon in the top flight of Korean football.

Although he was pivotal in Suwon's survival in the 2022 season. There were a number of chances that were missed by Oh throughout the year. This will have to be part of his game if he improves if he is set to get game time in Glasgow. 

The Korean Dry Spell Broken in Scotland

The move will make Oh Hyeon-gyu the third Korean to play in the Scottish Premiership. The other two players to make the move were Ki Sung-yueng and Cha Du-ri who were also with Celtic from 2010-2012. Sung-yueng managed nine goals in 66 games for Celtic, whereas Cha Du-ri managed two goals in 32 games.

Ki Sung-yeung was playing for Celtic between 2010-2012

Oh Hyun-kyu will have nine goals to beat to become the highest-scoring Korean for Celtic. Fans of the K League will hope that Oh Hyun-kyu can show fans from Europe the quality that is there in South Korea.

For football fans in Korea, we saw an influx of Tottenham Hotspur fans when Son Heung-min joined the London side and an increase of Napoli fans when Kim Min-jae fans when he made his move. The transfer of Oh Hyun-kyu could also open up the Scottish league to the people of South Korea

What is in Store for Oh Hyeon-gyu?

Oh Hyeon-gyu will be involved in a Celtic team looking to retain the Scottish Premiership title. They are currently in 1st place, nine points ahead of 2nd placed Rangers. Celtic are still involved in the Scottish Cup as well as a League Cup final against Rangers in February.

 

Celtic will look to retain the title for the 2022-2023 season. A Championship title for The Bhoys will result in them qualifying for the UEFA Champions League group stage. If it all goes down to plan, Oh Hyeon-gyu could be playing Champions League football in a little over nine months time. 

Final Thoughts

The news that Oh Hyeon-gyu is making the move to Scotland is welcoming for fans of Korean football. Oh will join a list of other national team players who play in Europe and it will also gain some recognition for the K League if he can do the job at Celtic Park. 

 

The move for Oh Hyun-kyu to Celtic will help him remain in the Korean national team. 

Oh Hyeon-gyu had a long tenure at Suwon Bluewings, however, he is still at a young age and the move will be a new challenge for the Korean. A successful stint in Glasgow will help him further cement his position in the Korean national team and he will also have the ability to play amongst some of the best players in Scotland and in Europe. 

 

It comes as a big loss for Suwon but may be a good move in the progression of the Korean national team. 

Michael Redmond also appeared on Radio Clyde 1's Super Scoreboard to talk more about the transfer. Listen below or by clicking here.