The news emanating from the official Celtic website today that South Korean international Hyun-Jun Yang has agreed a new contract at the club is one that should be welcomed by all Celtic supporters…
The winger has agreed a new deal that runs until 2030, meaning Celtic has secured his services as he enters the peak years of his career.
A fantastic piece of business by Celtic
Personally I think it’s a fantastic piece of business by Celtic. Yang has easily been our most consistent winger this season, and has certainly done enough to earn a new contract. Martin O’Neill has been full of praise for the young Korean throughout his two stints as manager during this campaign, often singling him out for praise.
Yang signed for Celtic almost three years ago for around £2m from Gangwon FC, after being voted the leagues young player of the year back in his homeland. At only 19, Brendan Rodgers potentially viewed him as one for the future and you could see from his early appearances that while he had talent, he was certainly still a bit raw.
Yang has spent his time at Celtic continually improving
Yang has spent his time at Celtic continually improving and when I heard the news that he was potentially going to Birmingham on the last day of the transfer window last year I thought it was a terrible mistake but the club. It was clear that Yang was a young player who was working hard and had a lot of potential, so I thought £3m was an awful piece of business. This season has certainly shown it would have been. Thankfully the deal fell through and the rest is history as they say.
Yang has been our best winger all season
Yang has been our best winger all season. He has scored some important goals that have helped us towards regaining our title. Not just that however, I really like his attitude. He gives everything and is more than happy to contribute defensively, something a few of our other wingers could learn from. There are still parts of his game that need improving, but I have no doubt he’ll continue to work hard to reach his full potential.
It would have been a huge error to sell Yang for £3m
When you consider that we paid over £4m for Michel-Ange Balikwisha, it just shows how huge an error it would have been to sell Yang for £3m. As fans we need to realise that players like Yang aren’t going to turn up and be superstars right away. They are young men moving to a new country and need time to adapt. They also need time to improve. If they were a Champions League standard player when we scouted them, we wouldn’t be able to afford them.
Another prime example of this is Oh Hyeon-Gyu. Yet another young talent from South Korea who we let go far too soon, and too cheaply. Many fans were buzzing at the time that we managed to get £4.5m for him. He’s probably worth 4 times that amount now. We really need to be more patient with some of these youngsters, especially when they are coming from outside of Europe and totally different culture than ours.
Yang has improved season after season at Celtic
Yang has improved season after season at Celtic and I feel like with his confidence now high, he will become an important player next season. I actually think Yang might be better on the left wing, something Martin O’Neill has mentioned also this season. Right wing is an area Celtic need to improve on this summer.
If we could get a top class right winger I think there’s a chance we might see Yang switched out left, especially with the likelihood of Maeda leaving. Jota would obviously be first pick in that position, but are we even confident he will be ready for pre-season? I wouldn’t put money on it. The fact that Yang has the versatility to play both wings is a huge bonus for Celtic.
Celtic Park, 22 February 2026. Photo Mark Runnacles IMAGO/Shutterstock
Double Congratulations to Yang today and hopefully tomorrowÂ
Congratulations to Yang on both earning his new contract at Celtic and also being chosen to represent South Korea at the World Cup. A great week for him indeed! Hopefully it ends on a high tomorrow.
Conall McGinty
HAVE YOUR SAY – Join the Celtic conversation in our comments section below…
Quick Tip – Add Celticshorts.com as your ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the Celtic content you value the most. It takes just a few seconds and you’ll notice the difference straight away! – Click HERE….Hail Hail!
