Oh Hyeon-gyu – The Celtic Wiki

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Fullname: Oh Hyeon-gyu
aka: Oh Hyeongyu, Oh Hyeon-gyu Oh, Hyeongyu Oh [‘Oh’ is his surname]
Born: 12 April 2001
Birthplace: Namyangju, Gyeonggi, South Korea
Signed: 25 January 2023 (est £2.5-3m from Suwon Bluewings)
Left: 15 July 2024 (est £4.5m to Genk (Belgium)
Position: Striker, Forward
Debut: Dundee Utd 0-2 Celtic, SP, 29 Jan 2023
Squad No.: 19
Internationals: South Korea
International Caps: [TBC at end of career]
International Goals: [TBC at end of career]

Biog

“He’s going to be a fantastic player for us. We’re slowly integrating him into things on & off the field, but I see him in every day in training. He’s such a presence, a physical presence & he has got good quality in him as well. He’s just really hungry to succeed.”
Ange Postecoglou (March 2023)

Oh Hyeon-gyu arrived at Celtic as another welcome addition from the far east stable of players, aiming to support Kyogo and replace the departing Giakoumakis. After the recent World Cup, the reputation of Asian football players had hit a new high and south OHG was aiming to further build on this.

Before even he had officially signed, the musos on the terraces were already drafting up a re-write of pop tune “oh oh oh it’s magic” for Hyeongyu.

On his arrival in January 2023, he had some leeway as Celtic were already set for the league title being 9pts ahead of a disintegrating challenge from Sevco. Regardless he got off to a fine start with goals from the get go, and the manager (Postecoglou) was patient with him, giving him many opportunities to build on his promise which he repaid back in goals.

Brendan Rodgers Era

With Postecoglou gone, he now had to prove himself under the returning Brendan Rodgers, but it became a task too far.

With Kyogo still the star of the attacking line at Celtic, and most often still scoring the goals, there was a difficulty for Oh to match and prove himself given his limited gametime. However, a deputy was required for Kyogo, but Oh struggled to fill in that role. Most often he came off the bench to prove himself, and in fairness his return was decent. He had scored six goals in his first half season but only five in season 2023/24.

Possibly his high mark was in the 3-1 away win v St Johnstone in the league (Dec 2023), when he was the catalyst in this game (along with Mikey Johston) to push Celtic to victory. Coming on at half-time, he helped turn the game around for Celtic in an impressive performance. He then built on this to start the following match, grabbing the headlines with a double in a 4-1 win v Hibernian, and really could have scored four goals on the day, with the manager justifying praising Oh for his performance. In Nov 2023, he scored the winning goal v St Mirren at Celtic Park, helping the side win the game late on.

Yet the problem was that this wasn’t really enough, and despite those high moments and goals, there were few who saw sufficient potential in him to make it at Celtic, albeit all agreed he did has some talent.

He hadn’t shown enough to merit or show that he has what it takes to play a significant part in our future. It was a disappointment as there was a lot of hope that he would step up to make the mark. He was a very likeable lad, and added some physicality up front, but often he moved like a giant toddler charging about with little direction to what he was supposed to be doing. He needed regular games to develop, but one problem that season was that once Celtic squandered their league points advantage, the manager and the players were under the cosh, reducing any leeway to provide prospects like Oh further chances.

In the 2024 winter transfer window, Celtic brought in Idah on loan, and the writing was on the wall. Idah performed strongly in his loan spell, and was as much a physical presence but (mostly) played with control and frightened opposition defenders into mistakes rather than just charging into bodies and giving away cheap fouls.

When Celtic lifted the league title, Oh was part of the celebrations (and deservedly so), but you could see he felt a little embarrassment when the trophy was passed around as you could sense he felt a little unworthy, but he lifted the trophy and he deserved that moment of glory. He was a humble guy, and it was a nice moment.

It was inevitable that he was going to move on, as simply he wasn’t progressing to the higher levels as demanded by a very ambitious and often ruthless Brendan Rodgers. There was no denying the commitment, effort and humility from Oh. An often powerful & dedicated player on the pitch, it was a disappointment to see his time at Celtic not work out. Many of us had confidence that somewhere he would find his feet and do well, albeit he would still leave with his head held high with some great memories too.

In July 2024, he signed for Genk for an estimated £4.5m, which was a decent move all round.

He played 47 times for Celtic (most often from the bench), scoring 12 times.

A decent and likeable player, and we wished him all the best.

Post-Celtic

[….]

Quotes

“He’s a very special talent. I had him with me in the last two matches there when we played Colombia and Uruguay two weeks ago and he left a very, very positive impression so I’m curious to see him here.”
Juergen Klinnsmann (former German World Cup winner player, and later the South Korea manager (2023)

“This is the moment I have dreamed of and I’m really excited to perform in front of the fans at the stadium.”
Hyeongyu Oh (Jan 2023)

“I had doubts whether Brendan Rodgers fancied him, but he got thrown in in midweek and he produced the goods. Oh has got a bit about him. He’s not up to the same level as Giorgos Giakoumakis, but he has qualities and he’s shown a good attitude. I’ve watched him warm up when he’s been on the bench and he pushes himself like a lunatic. He’s clearly chomping at the bit to make an impression and he managed to do that the other night.”
Ex-Celt Chris Sutton on Oh (Nov 2023)

Playing Career

APPEARANCES (subs)	LEAGUE	SCOTTISH CUP	LEAGUE CUP	EUROPE	TOTAL
2022-23	16	4	1	–	21
Goals	6	1	0	–	7
2023-24	20	1	0	5	26
Goals	5	0	0	0	5
Total	36	5	1	5	47
Goals	11	1	0	0	12

Honours with Celtic

(Honours are marked below in which the player has played in at least one of the matches in the campaign.)

Scottish League

2022-23, 2023-24

Scottish Cup

2022-23, 2023-24

Scottish League Cup

2022-23

Pictures

Player Pics

Forums

First Thread (started Jan 2023)

Notes

The standard naming convention in the Far East is for the surname to come first, so note you may see in various reports his name written as Oh Hyeon-gyu, but in Europe the custom is to put it as Hyeon-gyu Oh. Oh is the surname.

Articles

Celtic sign Hyeongyu Oh – fee, length of contract, shirt number, what player and club said

Celtic have confirmed the signing of South Korean striker Hyeongyu Oh who joins from Suwon Samsung Bluewings in his homeland.

Joel Sked

By Joel Sked

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/celtic-sign-hyeongyu-oh-fee-length-of-contract-shirt-number-what-player-and-club-said-4000191

The 21-year-old arrives for a fee reported to be around £2.65million and has signed a five-year deal, subject to international clearance. He becomes the club’s fourth signing during the January transfer window, following the arrivals of Japanese duo Tomoki Iwata and Yuki Kobayashi, as well as Canadian international Alistair Johnston.

Oh, who will wear the number 19, had been in brilliant form towards the end of the South Korean top-flight season, scoring 11 goals in 16 matches and earning a call-up to the preliminary squad for the World Cup. On signing, he said his “dream has come true”.

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“I’m a very aggressive player who also likes the physical side,” he said. “I also like to score lots of goals. I feel like I’m on a movie set and I’m really excited to be in in the city and I’m looking forward to the upcoming days. One of my aims is to score lots of goals and I also have ambitions of winning the league championship.”

“This is the moment I have dreamed of and I’m really excited to perform in front of the fans at the stadium.”

Ange Postecoglou expressed his delight at bringing the striker to Celtic and revealed the player had his “heart set” on joining the club.

“He is a young, talented striker with great attributes and someone who is ready to take the next stage in his career – a player who is hungry, eager to develop and to achieve success,” the Australian said. “I have watched Oh for some time and he is the striker I really wanted as I think he will be a great fit in our squad.

“Really importantly, I know that he had his heart set on joining us too and that his own perseverance has been crucial in making this deal happen, so his determination to join Celtic has been very clear. We are really pleased to welcome him to the Club and look forward to working with him and settling him into our squad.”

Oh Hyeon-gyu offers solution to his Celtic game-time problem – and it involves Kyogo Furuhashi

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/oh-hyeon-gyu-offers-solution-to-his-celtic-game-time-problem-and-it-involves-kyogo-furuhashi-4396028
Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu has offered a solution to the difficulty he has faced in dislodging Kyogo Furuhashi from the team … he can play alongside him.
Matthew Elder
By Matthew Elder
Published 2nd Nov 2023, 22:30 GMT
0
Comment
The Korean international arrived in January from Suwon Bluewings as a replacement for the outgoing Giorgos Giakoumakis, the Greek striker departing for the MLS having become disillusioned with playing second fiddle to the prolific Japanese sensation.

Now Oh is facing a similar struggle in his attempts to become a regular Celtic starter having not yet featured in a first XI for any fixture so far under Brendan Rodgers, with 10 substitute appearances providing him with an average of 14 minutes per match this season.

A stunning finish, off the bench, for his first goal of the campaign which proved to be the matchwinner against St Mirren on Wednesday night can only help the 22-year-old’s cause.

It came when both he and Furuhashi were on the pitch together and Oh reckons the duo can form a formidable partnership if paired together from the start.

“Kyogo is a great player,” he said. “I want to play with him in every game so I was so happy that we combined for the goal on Wednesday.

“I think we make a good partnership. I learn from him every day in training.

“Every football player wants to start every game but whether I get five minutes or ten minutes I will always give my best for the team.”

On his St Mirren strike, which came six minutes from time to clinch a 2-1 win after team-mate David Turnbull had levelled Colin McMenamin’s surprise opener for the Buddies, Oh added: “I feel so happy to score my first goal of the season. It felt amazing when the ball hit the net.

“To be honest, it’s been a very difficult time for me when I hadn’t managed to score this season.

“But the gaffer said to me: ‘always keep going, keep going,’ and I have been working hard every day in training.

“It’s been great to have that support from the gaffer.

“He always gives me confidence because he believes in me. That’s very important for any player.

“I now want to score more goals this season.”

OH LEADS CELTIC CLEAR-OUT

https://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/oh-leads-celtic-clear-out/

By CQN Magazine on 30th May 2024 Latest News

OH HYEON-GYU looks to be heading for the exit as he leads a Celtic clear-out.

The South Korean striker, bought by Ange Postecoglou for £2million in January 2022, has become a bit-part player since the arrival of Brendan Rodgers last June.

Oh, 23, has made just three league starts in his 20 appearances this season and has rarely figured in the first-team squad in recent weeks. He wasn’t even on the subs’ bench in the Scottish Cup Final win over Rangers at the weekend.

The frontman signed a five-year deal when he joined from K-League outfit Suwon Bluewings, but appears to have no future at the champions as Rodgers revamps the squad he inherited from Spurs-bound Postecoglou.

Oh has scored only five goals this time around to add to the six he claimed in his first five months at Parkhead.

The burly hitman is understood to be attracting interest from various European leagues, according to a report in the Scottish Sun.

Striker Oh leaves Celtic to join Genk

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c7284nn491lo
Hyeongyu Oh Image source, SNS
Image caption,

Hyeongyu Oh joined Celtic in January 2023

South Korea striker Oh Hyeon-gyu has left Celtic to join Belgian side Genk.

The 23-year-old, who struggled for regular game-time at Parkhead, moves on after just 18 months and joins the Belgian team on a four-year deal.

Celtic confirmed his departure in a post on X, external.

Oh joined Celtic from Korean K-League side Suwon Samsung Bluewings on a five-year contract in January 2023, but was mainly used as a substitute.

Last season he scored five goals in 26 appearances in all competitions, but had turned out for Celtic just three times since January – against Kilmarnock in the Premiership and St Mirren in the league and the Scottish Cup.

“Hyeon-gyu is a striker with a nose for goals,” Genk’s director of football Dimitri de Conde told the club’s website.

“He is a quick player who, thanks to his stature, also offers a strong presence in the box.”