GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JULY 10: Celtic's Hyeokkyu Kwon during a pre-season friendly match between Queen's Park and Celtic at the City Stadium, on July 10, 2024, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Kwon Hyeok-kyu appears to be close to joining Nantes on a three year deal, taking up the remainder of his Celtic contract.
From the moment that Celtic were linked with a player from the Korean Second Division there were concerns from supporters. They weren’t wrong.
While Yang Hyun-jun has had a bit part role to play, usually as fifth choice winger over the last two season’s Kwon looks like departing Celtic without ever being involved in a competitive match.
At least Marco Tilio has two substitute appearances totalling 28 minutes to look back on, Kwon only has the salary.
In January 2024 he was loaned out to St Mirren where he played for 552 minutes across 10 SPFL Premiership matches, last summer he moved to Hibs for a season long loan, apparently to kick on from his time in Paisley.
Kwon did manage 1,095 minutes over 21 Premiership matches but the last of them was in February, just as Hibs hit form under David Gray.
???? INFO OUEST-FRANCE. Mercato FC Nantes. Un milieu sud-coréen arrive, un second bientôt en prêt #FCNantes #Sport #Ligue 1 @OuestFrance https://t.co/L513BRqHc0
— David Phelippeau (@dphelippeau) July 23, 2025
It seems that much of Celtic’s transfer activity this summer has involved clearing out the flops brought in on five year contracts by Mark Lawwell.
Gus Lagerbielke has left on a permanent move to Braga with Maik Nawrocki on loan at Bundesliga II side Hannover 96.
Tilio, Yang and Luis Palma all seem on their way out to varying degrees while Odin Thiago Holm struggles to get any playing time with Los Angeles FC.
Kwon made a brief appearance as a substitute away to Wolves in Dublin in August 2023, he was on the park for the first half of the James Forrest Testimonial against Athletic Bilbao a few days later and never seen again as a Celtic player.
While certain influencers point and sneer at Arne Engels, Auston Trusty and Adam Idah it seems that their scrutiny never falls on the seven players costing £20m in the summer of 2023 who were all handed five year contracts.
Both Lawwell’s should have been shown the door at the same time after that monumental fuck up. Who gets away with wasting 20 million quid and keeps their job, let alone made chairman.
2 utter bellends together. Snr is definitely the turd that won’t flush. Roll on the day we see the back of that parasite.
Cannae blame any of the guys mini Lawwell brought in.
They saw it as a great opportunity to come to a world famous club and fill every orifice with gold safe in the knowledge that Brendan wouldn’t play them as they were not the players of his choosing.
The parasites are hell bent on putting obstacles in the way of Brendan, or any other managers who come to Paradise.
Everything is geared up to keep their beloved Old Firm Franchise alive, albeit on life support, but as long as that bastard Lawwell is in the building we will never progress.
Ange saw right through the cunt so refused to sign a long term contract which would have brought yet more money in for them to horde.
Hopefully, a lot more of the fanbase has seen the light due to the of an charging admission fee for season ticket holders for the Newcastle game.
God speed the day when Desmond and Lawwell are planted in the ground in their heated pine overcoats.
And so say all of us! (Well, all of us with a functioning brain and a reasonable memory.)
Great comment, great name BHB!
Definitely an utter cock up by ‘Sonny’ for sure and by default ‘Daddy’ for appointing him !
Good luck Kwon. By sheer coincidence my new Nantes shirt arrived from dHGate today! I didn’t get a name/number on it – I seem to be the kiss of death when I do that….i got last seasons two away tops from them with Kyogo and Kühn on the back of them!