Celtic transfer failings force Brendan Rodgers to field player repeatedly beaten vs Kairat
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(Credit: Imago)
Ciaran Morrison
Tue 26 August 2025 20:59, UK
Celtic’s failure to add attacking reinforcements in the transfer market has again been highlighted by one player’s woeful performance against Kairat Almaty.
After Celtic drew 0-0 with Kairat Almaty in the first leg, the Hoops headed out to Kazakhstan in a winner takes all tie for qualification to the league stages of the Champions League.
The contest yielded few clear cut chances for either side, although Daizen Maeda spurned the chance to win the tie for Celtic when he fired high over the crossbar when one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
Maeda was also one of three players to miss in the shootout which ended in a humiliating 3-2 defeat.
Celtic have a perfect record of three wins from three in the Scottish Premiership so far, but their failure to progress in the Champions League have proven that Brendan Rodgers needs to be backed in the transfer market.
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Yang Hyun-jun has been one of the player’s to benefit from Celtic’s transfer failings this summer, and the long-term injury to Jota has also depleted Rodgers’ options.
Celtic’s lack of attacking threat rose prominently to the surface in the first leg against Kairat Almaty and their fortunes did not change over in Kazakhstan with the match ending 0-0 again after 90 minutes.
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BBC Sport Scotland’s Tom English believes Yang is only in the Celtic team because of a lack of signings that have arrived this summer, and he was evidently lacking from early on.
English stated that Yang had given the ball away or been outmuscled on the ball “four times already in this game” within the first half an hour.
Norwich City showed interest in Yang earlier in the summer and Celtic were happy to let the South Korean leave so a departure could still be on the table before the transfer window shuts.
Yang struggled against Kairat Almaty.
Football Insider Verdict
Whilst at times Yang has shown glimpses of his potential, his time at Celtic has not been a success and with Rodgers’ ambitions to progress further in the Champions League, the time may have come for the winger to depart Glasgow.
If Adam Idah was firing and Jota was fit and occupied a flank alongside Maeda, then Yang would not be getting in ahead of any of those players.
Appearances70Goals7Assists9Yang’s stats at Celtic in all competitions.
Yang has been given a greater opportunity to stake his claim in the side, but the 23-year-old has failed to take his chance on the pitch.
The incoming arrival of Michel-Ange Balikwisha from Royal Antwerp is a timely piece of business, with the 24-year-old a proven goal scorer in Belgium.