Scottish champions Celtic have signed forward Yang Hyun-joon (21) and midfielder Kwon Hyuk-kyu (22), bringing the total number of Korean players to three.
Celtic, last year’s Scottish Premiership champions, officially announced through the club’s official website on the 24th (KST) that they have signed Yang Hyun-joon and Kwon Hyuk-kyu to five-year contracts each. Yang has been assigned the number 13 shirt and Kwon the number 22 shirt.
With the signing, Celtic has now added three new players to its roster, including Oh Hyun-gyu, who joined the team in the winter of last season and has been playing as a frontline striker, Yang Hyun-joon, a wing forward, and Kwon Hyuk-gyu, a defensive midfielder, to create an environment where three Korean players can be on the field at the same time.
Celtic, one of Scotland’s most prestigious clubs and a member of the Scottish Premiership alongside Rangers, won the “Domestic Triple Crown” last season, winning the regular season, FA Cup, and League Cup.
After the triumphant coach Enze Postecoglou took over the reins at Tottenham, where Son Heung-min, 30, plays, the club hired Brendan Rodgers, who previously managed Liverpool, to lead them to another league title and a European uprising this season. And at the center of it all are three Korean leaguers from the K League.
The first of the two new signings announced by Celtic is Yang Hyun-jun, who previously played for K League 1 side Gangwon FC, in a deal worth £2.1 million (approximately $3.4 billion).
After joining Gangwon in 2021, Yang scored eight goals and provided four assists in 36 games in 2022, winning the K League and Korean Football Association (KFA) Young Player of the Year awards. His performance earned him a call-up to the South Korean national team, and he made a name for himself with soccer fans last year.
Ahead of this summer’s transfer window, Celtic made a strong bid in May, but Gangwon, who are currently in the race to stay in the league, were reluctant, and Yang expressed a strong desire to move, saying, “I want to move even if I have to take a salary cut.” There were also conflicts, with Yang publicly expressing his disappointment with the club’s lukewarm attitude toward the transfer. However, after a meeting between Gangwon FC president Kim Byung-ji and Yang, the transfer was finalized, and he dramatically donned the Celtic jersey.
Upon joining the club, Yang said, “This is the move I’ve been waiting for. I’m very happy to be at Celtic and I’m looking forward to training with my new teammates,” he said, adding, “My brother (Oh) had a lot of praise for the club and the supporters. I am very much looking forward to playing in front of the great fans.” 먹튀검증
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, who has also played in the Premier League in the past and is new to the job this season, also shared his excitement. “He’s a player we’ve been watching for a long time,” said Rodgers. “We are delighted to have signed him and are confident he will be a great addition,” said Rodgers. “He is an exciting player who was named Young Player of the Year in South Korea last season and is a promising addition to Celtic’s attack. We look forward to seeing him make a big impact at Celtic.”