Birmingham City F.C. Boss Faces Signing Regrets Over £10m Striker –another striker is in better form, and the coach prefers other options right now

Once the smiling and prolific talisman at Celtic F.C., the Japanese striker’s career has taken a sharp downturn since his unexpected departure from Glasgow last January.
After a frustrating and disappointing spell in France with Stade Rennais F.C., Kyogo Furuhashi hoped to rediscover his form following a move to Birmingham City F.C.. Instead, his time in England has become yet another difficult chapter in a campaign that has failed to go his way.
While supporters at Celtic Park may not be overly concerned with the fortunes of the Championship side, watching their former hero reduced to a brief two-minute cameo against Queens Park Rangers F.C. on Wednesday night highlights just how far his situation has declined. For a forward who once troubled top defences in the UEFA Champions League, fighting for a few moments of stoppage-time action marks a dramatic fall.
Birmingham boss Chris Davies previously hinted at the striker’s fading role when explaining why he left him out of the squad against Charlton Athletic F.C., simply saying: “That’s just a selection.”
The irony is that while Kyogo struggles to make an impact, Celtic’s squad—once managed by Martin O’Neill—has been dealing with a well-documented striker shortage. With reports linking the forward to a possible move to Major League Soccer, a fresh start could offer a way out of his difficult spell in England.
It also raises the question of whether Celtic would be facing so many problems up front had he remained at the club. Several players have attempted to fill the void he left, but only Daizen Maeda has managed to produce a similar impact in the box during a strong run in the second half of the season.
Since leaving Glasgow, Kyogo’s numbers tell a harsh story: just three goals in 35 appearances across spells with Rennes and Birmingham. For the 31-year-old, the dramatic drop in form during this difficult period shows little sign of improving.
To make matters worse, he has rarely been given consistent minutes on the pitch, leaving him with few opportunities to regain rhythm and rebuild the confidence needed to turn his fortunes around.