Will Celtic clinch yet another domestic treble?
Last weekend, the Hoops were presented with the Scottish Premiership trophy, their 13th in just 14 seasons, following a dramatic 1-1 draw with St Mirren, in which James Forrest scored a 94th minute equaliser, meaning he’s now netted in 16 successive seasons.
This forthcoming Saturday, the Celts will convene on Hampden, taking on Aberdeen in the 140th Scottish Cup Final, firm favourites for victory, having already steamrollered the Dons 6-0 in November, 5-1 in February and then 5-1 again, this time at Pittodrie, as recently as last Wednesday.
Should Brendan Rodgers’ side prevail in Mount Florida, it would secure Celtic’s sixth treble in just nine seasons, having only won three trebles in their first 122 seasons in existence beforehand.
Ahead of the final, is one unsung Celtic hero becoming reminiscent of a star from the not too distant past?
Giorgos Giakoumakis' Celtic career
Giorgos Giakoumakis has been in the news this week after revealing to the Daily Record that he “would love to play for Celtic again”, adding “I don’t know if that’s a utopia or if it could happen… when you’ve already been there, you know exactly what it means”.
The Greek international arrived in Glasgow in the summer of 2021 for a reported fee of £2.5m, having won the Eredivisie Golden Boot, an achievement made all the more impressive by the fact his team VVV-Venlo were actually relegated that season.
Well, Giakoumakis would actually make it back-to-back golden boots, sharing the Premiership award with Regan Charles-Cook, bagging 13 league goals during his debut campaign in Scotland, netting 26 times in just 57 appearances in hoops overall, thereby averaging a goal every 97 minutes.
However, unable to regularly usurp Kyōgo Furuhashi in Ange Postecoglou’s pecking order, Giakoumakis departed after just 18 months in Glasgow, sold to Atlanta United for around £4.3m in February 2023.
The centre-forward then spent just one season in Major League Soccer, quickly moving to current club Cruz Azul for around £7.5m, thereby becoming los Cementeros’ fourth-most expensive signing of all time.
With Giakoumakis now plying his trade in Liga MX, a return to Parkhead does seem unlikely. The Glasgow giants do already boast a like-minded number nine in the form of Adam Idah, who’s notched 20 times this season, but is it another member of the current squad showcasing similar prolific qualities?
Celtic's new super sub
Fair to say, after arriving from Gangwon FC for around £2m in the summer of 2023, Yang Hyun-jun didn’t make much of an immediate impression, scoring just one goal in his first 48 appearances for the Cetls.
However, since mid-January, he has scored five times in only 16 outings, most recently on target during the 5-1 win at Aberdeen last mid-week.
In March, Yang bagged a brace off the bench at St Mirren, after which Rodgers credited his upturn in form with the fact “his girlfriend is here at the moment”, jokingly adding that he’ll do everything he can to make sure she “can stay in the country”.
So is Yang – who former club president Kim Byung-ji claimed “could easily become a world-class player like Son Heung-min” – really Celtic’s new super sub? Let’s take a look at the numbers to find out.
Georgios Giakoumakis
26
6
23%
Yang Hyun-Jun
6
3
50%
Adam Idah
20
8
40%
Daizen Maeda
33
1
3%
Jota
5
2
40%
Nicolas Kühn
21
4
19%
James Forrest
1
1
100%
Note: Table includes Giakoumakis’ Celtic career. All other players are 24/25 only.
As the table shows, none of Celtic’s forwards – not even Idah – score a higher proportion of their goals off the bench than Yang, a trait associated with Giakoumakis from his time in hoops.
So, having already scored against Aberdeen home and away this season, if Celtic need a goal in Saturday’s Scottish Cup Final, the South Korean could be the man Rodgers turns to.
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