Celtic wrapped up the bulk of their transfer business early and now it looks like a tale of two South Koreans for Ange Postecoglou to choose between.
The boss hinted one more signing is on the way and it looks for all the world as if it's going to be a new forward. Earlier in the window it seemed as if that would be Cho Gue-sung following his World Cup heroics, but now it appears to be Oh Hyeon-gyu who is the preference with Jeonbuk Hyundai reluctant to play ball.
Reports on Sunday claimed the 21-year-old is set for a medical and with a £2.5million deal seemingly agreed between the clubs, it can reasonably be expected that he'll be snapped with a green and white scarf above his head at some stage this week. Likely in fact to be in the next couple of days. But who is the better option of the two as Celtic prepare make their first foray into the South Korean market in the Postecoglou era? Is it the young gun, or would they be better off with the more established of the two free-scoring forwards?
Record Sport takes a look with a compare and contrast between the two attackers.
Goals don't tell the whole story
If you're looking for an out-and-out replacement for Giakoumakis, Gue-sung is the obvious option. He is a robust out-and-out No.9 and netted 19 goals to Hyeon-gyu's 14 over the 2022 period at club level, but look beyond the face value stats, and there is deeper story to be told.
While Gue-sung has a better minutes per goal (179 vs 132), that doesn't factor in that he played 63 per cent of his games through the middle compared to Hyeon-gyu's 43. The latter played more regularly off the left and generally took up deeper starting positions, and that resulted in Gue-sung averaging 33 per cent more shots per game - which in turn leads to more goals over the course of a season. Cho also played 400 more minutes.
Oh didn't establish himself as Suwon's main striker until the second half of the season, at which point he went on a run of eight goals in 10games proving there is a centre-forward there waiting to be unlocked. The heatmaps below tell the story of the pair's last five games - a stretch where Hyeon-gyu scored four times and Gue-sung three.
Oh Hyeon-gyu heat map
Cho Gue-sung heat map
Both strikers cover plenty of ground but Oh spends more time in deeper central positions before making late darts towards the box, while Cho prefers to occupy the central defenders. But the fact that Oh racks up prolific numbers when played as a central striker, while seemingly not sacrificing any of his pitch coverage, tells you he has plenty to offer.
Long-term value
Any serious statistical comparison between the pair of course has to come alongside the backdrop of their respective ages - with Hyeon-gyu more than three years the younger of the pair at 21. While Gue-sung's reputation as a proven international with South Korea may make him the sexier option, it's worth noting that Hyeon-Gyu is coming off the back of a double figure haul in his first full K-League 1 season - Gue-sung managed just four in his first crack at the top flight in 2020 and it wasn't until last season that he broke ten.
The junior of the duo has more to prove, and while still developing he is a is more malleable option for Postecoglou to play with. The reported up front fees are similar with a reported £2.6m up front for Gue-sung compared to £2.5m for Oh Hyeon-Gyu but the potential profit margins on the latter are far higher.
The value of a player in the 21 to 23 age bracket is exponentially higher than that of a 24-27 year-old and while Celtic don't buy with the express intention of selling, it's certainly part of the model that has built the current side. The recent sale of Josip Juranovic to Union Berlin for four times what they paid for him 18 months ago will tell you that and if Celtic feel they stand to make more off Oh down the line then that could be one of the reasons their focus seems to have shifted.
Committed to the cause
Postecoglou has always said he only wants players who want to play for his side and that was reflected in Hyeon-gyu's quotes after interest from Parkhead first emerged. “What was reported today is true," he said. "Celtic, a prestigious club, gave me a good offer. I think I have a big desire to take on this opportunity. I am cautious to say at this place, but when the previous club said that such an offer had come, I told the club that I wanted to go and requested a transfer. It was a situation where we were waiting for the club’s position.”
No bones about it, then, and if Celtic do get their man then that commitment to the cause should be reflected in his play. It's all about the unseen stuff for Ange, which is why Daizen Maeda is such a popular choice for the demanding Australian, and while Hyeon-gyu's end product is substantially better than the Japan star, he will give you a similarly tireless work-rate.
In the 2022 period Cho recovered the ball more often (0.82 per game vs 0.72) but despite playing fewer minutes, Oh averaged the same number of challenges per match (18). He also managed notably more tackles (1.13 vs 0.91) and slightly more interceptions (1.51 vs 1.5), despite only playing 67 minutes on average and starting just two thirds of Suwon's games compared to virtually every one for Hyeon-gyu.
Though not fully established an out and out 9 yet, Hyeon-gyu strikes the balance nicely between Kyogo than Giakoumakis. He has the former's subtlety and positional awareness but he's over 6ft and doesn't shy away from the fight, winning 32 per cent of his aerial challenges.
Gue-sung appears to be the more refined goalscorer and would likely be the man if Celtic needed a short-term fix, but they don't just yet. Hyeon-gyu is the diamond in the rough who could yield a huge long-term return, and just might be the smarter signing of the two.
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