Celtic had to deal with their manager and several of their key first-team performers moving away from Parkhead at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.
Firstly, head coach Ange Postecoglou decided that his time was up in Scotland after two years at the helm and completed a move to Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
The Hoops were then able to rake in a whopping £25m as Saudi Pro League outfit Al Ittihad came in to secure Jota's services after an impressive time at Paradise.
Central defender Carl Starfelt was also sold, to LaLiga outfit Celta Vigo, and central midfielder Aaron Mooy confirmed his retirement from professional football.
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers, who replaced Postecoglou over the summer, could have more problems to contend with as Kyogo Furuhashi has been linked with a move away from the club.
TEAMtalk recently reported that Union Berlin and Brentford, who both compete in a major European league, are eyeing up the Japan international as a possible target for the January transfer window.
The outlet claimed that it could take a fee within the region of £20m to convince Rodgers and the club to cash in on their star striker, who is said to be content and in no rush to secure an exit from Glasgow.
Kyogo has scored six goals in 12 Scottish Premiership starts so far this season and managed 27 goals in 36 top-flight outings throughout the 2022/23 campaign.
The former Vissel Kobe star has been a lethal scorer for the club and Celtic could need a replacement in January if he does secure a transfer elsewhere. With that in mind, here are three dream targets the Hoops should consider if they need a new number nine…
1 Mathias Kvistgaarden
During the summer transfer window, Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph confirmed that Celtic were interested in Brondby centre-forward Mathias Kvistgaarden.
The Hoops were said to have made enquiries about his potential availability but signing another striker was not a priority for them and they opted against a swoop.
An exit for Kyogo should tempt them to revive that interest as the 21-year-old is a promising young talent who could develop into a terrific player for the Hoops.
The Brondby ace did not hit his stride at first-team until the end of the 2022/23 campaign during the Championship Round of Superligaen fixtures.
Kvistgaarden plundered an eye-catching six goals and four assists in nine appearances in that period and was touted with a possible switch to Celtic off the back of that.
The Denmark U21 international has started the 2023/24 season with five goals and five assists in 15 regular season league matches for his club.
This means that the Hoops target has produced 11 goals and nine assists in his last 24 league games for Brondby, which is an impressive tally for a player of his age – as he still has many more years left to grow as a striker.
He, therefore, may not hit the ground running with the level of scoring that Kyogo has managed in recent seasons but could develop with time and be a fantastic long-term addition.
2 Sydney van Hooijdonk
Another number nine who was linked with a move to Parkhead before the summer deadline was Bologna's Sydney van Hooijdonk, who was also touted with a possible switch to Wolfsburg before remaining in Italy.
Speaking to Corriere dello Sport recently, the attacker did not commit to whether he would remain with his club or not beyond the January transfer window.
This could open up the door for Celtic to target to sign the son of their former striker Pierre van Hooijdonk, if Kyogo does end up moving on.
The Bologna prospect, who was once hailed as "prolific" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has failed to score in five substitute appearances in the Serie A so far this season after his impressive campaign out on loan last term.
Appearances
41
16
70
Goals
35
7
23
Assists
2
0
4
As you can see in the table above, the 23-year-old ace enjoyed a superb start to his career with NAC Breda as he showcased his knack for scoring at youth and senior level.
He racked up 16 goals in 30 starts on loan at Heerenveen in the Eredivisie throughout the 2022/23 campaign, which came after a return of six goals in 13 league appearances for the Dutch side during the second half of the 2021/22 season.
At the age of 23, van Hooijdonk could be an excellent signing for the short and long-term for Celtic. He would come in with a proven goalscoring pedigree, as shown by his statistics in the Netherlands, whilst also having plenty of time left on his hands to develop and improve with more experience under his belt.
3 Lawrence Shankland
The Scotland international is a different option to the first two names on this list as he is a proven Premiership performer in the peak years of his career at 28, rather than being an up-and-coming ace with room to grow.
Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show recently, journalist Mark Guidi named the Scottish dynamo as someone the club should look to sign if they want to add another marksman to their squad.
It is not hard to see why the 6 foot 1 centre-forward could be an appealing option for Rodgers and Celtic as he has delivered a constant stream of goals for Hearts since the start of last season.
During the 2022/23 campaign, Shankland plundered an eye-catching 24 goals and four assists in 33 league games and has started this term with five goals in 12 Premiership outings.
He has produced ten goals and two assists in 19 matches in all competitions so far this season and knows exactly what it takes to find the back of the net on a regular basis in Scottish football.
This gives him the edge over van Hooijdonk and Kvistgaarden as neither of them have played in Scotland and it remains to be seen whether or not they would be able to adapt to the division.
Hopefully, Celtic will be able to keep hold of Kyogo and will not have to find a replacement. However, these are three dream options to explore if that situation does come to pass.