It’s almost 18 months since Celtic allowed Togo Furuhashi to move to Rennes, but it’s safe to say that the £10m sale of the Japanese striker didn’t go down well with everyone.
The 31-year-old failed to score at all for France until joining Birmingham City just six months later, and has since ended the 2025/26 campaign with his only goal in England’s second tier.
As for the players returning to Parkhead, they have signed a number of strikers, but only Makoto Yamada has actually paid a transfer fee, with Kyogo’s compatriot being released on loan in January after failing to score at all for Glasgow.
Daen Maeda’s heroics were ultimately enough to drag Martin O’Neill’s side to the edge of title contention, but hanging on without an elite number nine at the top is simply not sustainable.
Thankfully, the arrival of Camilo Duran from Qarabag could be enough to change things.
Duran’s performance in the Champions League last season
For a reported £6 million, Duran will join Celtic as the first signing of the summer under Colombian manager O’Neill, who has just scored 25 goals and assisted 25 goals in 45 games for Azerbaijan.
A versatile forward who can play either from the right or centrally, the left-footed player proved himself as a striker last season, particularly in the Champions League.
In just 10 league appearances, the 24-year-old scored five times, missed just three “big chances” and boasted a goal conversion rate of 25% as Qarabag progressed to the play-off round.
In the tournament a year ago, Keigo only scored one goal in seven games, missed three “big chances” himself, and had a goal conversion rate of just 10%.
The £6 million man’s recent record, with five goals against Benfica, Ajax, Eintracht Frankfurt and Newcastle United, certainly bodes well for the impact he can have if Celtic qualify for the Champions League.
Duran’s finish away in Lisbon was particularly eye-catching, as he darted out from behind from the left channel and slotted home diagonally in sumptuous style.
Looks may be deceiving, but first impressions are positive, with Duran a player with a great combination of speed and trickery who is expected to appear all over the front line.
He’s a player O’Neal doesn’t have right now, but is he actually the right No. 9 the Hoops need?
Why Celtic could sign an upgrade with Duran
Following the pre-season game between Celtic and Shelbourne, O’Neill made it clear this week that he wants another striker in the building – someone who can be a ruthless figurehead in front of goal.
“I think he (Duran) can link play-ups and things like that, but I think he could probably do it with someone who can put the ball in the net.”
O’Neill also revealed he is keen to bring Kelechi Iheanacho back into the squad, along with Anthony Joseph of Sky Sports, after confirming the club were in talks to sign a new contract with the Nigerian player.
Iheanacho, who is currently out of contract after his contract expired last month, may still have a future in Glasgow, but O’Neill is keen to get a deal done as soon as possible to give the 29-year-old a full pre-season.
As the Hoops manager admitted, Duran may be a nimble linkman, but that’s exactly what Celtic need in front of goal, and the fit and mobile Iheanacho is likely to provide that.
Duran, of course, returned to Azerbaijan and scored 15 goals, but before that he had only scored six goals in the top flight and is still finding his feet in terms of being a truly consistent and clinical presence in front of goal.
Iheanacho has his problems, no doubt, but when you look back at the player who scored 61 goals in 232 games for Leicester City and 21 goals in just 64 games for Manchester City, he was simply extremely effective when he left for a mere cameo last season.
Iheanacho’s career | ||
|---|---|---|
club | game | the goal |
leicester | 232 | 61 |
man city | 64 | twenty one |
celtic | twenty four | 9 |
Boro | 15 | 1 |
seville | 11 | 3 |
Nigeria | 58 | 15 |
His legs may not be what they once were, but does he know how it ends? Despite appearing in only 24 games, he finished the 2025/26 season with nine goals in all competitions.
Iheanacho, who became a cult hero in particular for his crucial penalty kicks away at Kilmarnock and Motherwell, scored at a rate of one goal per 99 minutes in the Premiership and boasted a goal conversion rate of 25%.
Duran scored nine goals in Azerbaijan’s top flight, surpassing that five, but he only scored once every 233 minutes and had a goal conversion rate of just 12%.
This suggests that if O’Neal can get Iheanacho up to speed, the former Foxes star will likely be the asset to build the attack, with Iheanacho proving very effective last season in fits and starts.
He was calm and collected in front of goal, his left foot was deadly, and it is no exaggeration to say that we would not have achieved the double domestic title without him.
