Whilst Celtic are locked in a tight race with their city rivals for the Scottish Premiership title, one eye has remained on the transfer window, with a forgotten player's departure from Parkhead seemingly now imminent.
Celtic hand advantage to Rangers
For the first time in a while, the Scottish Premiership looks perfectly poised for a thrilling finish with both Celtic and Rangers in contention for the title. Not always a close race, Celtic's once healthy advantage at the summit has been cut down by recent draws with both Aberdeen and Kilmarnock.
Brendan Rodgers' men are now under significant pressure to wrap up the league after being heavy favourites to lift the title and holding a significant lead over Rangers for much of the season's early proceedings. With a trip to Ibrox penciled in for the start of April, Celtic will have earmarked this fixture as an opportunity to put themselves back on the top of the tree.
Where Celtic hold the advantage over their Glasgow rivals is their absence of European football. Whilst Rangers have to juggle league and cup campaigns with the latter stages of the Europa League, Celtic can keep sole focus upon domestic competitions, potentially giving them the edge.
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One man who has yet to feature in all this however is Yuki Kobayashi, and he is now seeking greener pastures away from Scotland.
Yuki Kobayashi set for exit
As first reported by Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke, Kobayashi is exploring out-of-window moves away from Parkhead. The 23-year-old looked close to leaving Celtic last week, but a move to Finnish side HJK Helsinki collapsed at the last minute. Well-placed sources within the club have told O'Rourke that Kobayashi remains free to pursue other offers and that the player is eager to secure a move away from the Glasgow giants.
In truth, it is no wonder why Kobayashi is pursuing other avenues, as the central defender has appeared in green and white on just seven occasions since his arrival from Vissel Kobe in November 2022. His last action for Celtic came in May 2023, with this season bringing about zero opportunities for the former Japan youth international.
It wasn't always like this for the 23-year-old, as a stretch of fixtures towards the backend of last season saw Kobayashi start in the heart of defence and earn praise for his performances. Speaking after a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Kilmarnock in April 2023, former Hoops' boss, Ange Postecoglu sang the praises of his player, telling reporters:
“I thought he was really good. It wasn’t easy to play on the surface and they were physical. It was good to get him 90 minutes but in all the games he’s played, he’s hardly put a foot wrong and he’s growing as a player."
A once promising career at Parkhead has now come crashing down with Kobayashi likely to never pull on the famous green and white stripes again. Hopefully, the opportunity to play consistent football elsewhere will see the defender putting in the performances he is capable of on a regular basis.