Talks held: Yang upgrade now wants to sign for Celtic after Nancy sacking
On what was a hugely disappointing day for Celtic, Hyun-jun Yang was one of the few players who came away with credit after Saturday’s loss at Parkhead, which resulted in Wilfried Nancy’s dismissal.
The South Korea international scored his second goal of the season in the Scottish Premiership with a brilliant run and thumping finish to put his side 1-0 up.
Unfortunately, the rest of the team were unable to get the game over the line, as they coughed up three cheap goals in the second half to lose 3-1 to their rivals.
Despite that stunning goal, there should still be a question mark over his place in the starting line-up because he has only produced two goals and no assists in the league this season, per Sofascore.
Celtic in talks to sign new winger
Yang’s spot in the side could come under increased pressure amid claims that the club are in the market to sign a player in his position this month.
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According to Herald Scotland journalist Josh McCafferty, Celtic are interested in a deal to sign Red Bull Bragantino winger Ignacio Laquintana in the January transfer window.
The reporter claims that the Hoops have “held talks” with the Brazilian side over a potential deal for the right winger, as they look to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch.
McCafferty adds that they could agree an initial loan until the end of the 2025/26 campaign for the attacker, with an option to make it permanent in the summer transfer window.
He also reveals that Laquintana is “keen to join Celtic” before the end of the current window, which suggests that personal terms will not be much of an issue for the club.
Why Celtic should sign Laquintana in January
The Hoops should push to get this deal over the line in the days to come because he has the potential to arrive at Parkhead as an even better option than Yang, despite the South Korean star’s stunning goal on Saturday.
As aforementioned, the current Celtic winger has not offered enough in the final third on a consistent basis to say that he deserves to start week-in-week-out in the wing-back role, with only two goal contributions to his name heading into the second half of the league season.
Laquintana, however, has shown real promise in his time with Red Bull Bragantino and could be an exciting addition to the squad, as a winger who has the potential to offer more quality than Yang has so far this season.
Sebastian Tounekti, James Forrest, Michel-Ange Balikwisha, and Yang have all failed to deliver more than two goals or two assists in the Premiership this term, per WhoScored, whilst Laquintana managed more than two goals and more than two assists on his own in the Brasileiro in 2025.
The Uruguay international, who has scored one goal in two caps for his nation, produced four goals and three assists in 23 appearances in the league for Bragantino last year, per Sofascore.
Stats
Laquintana (2025 Brasileiro)
Yang (25/26 SPL)
Appearances
23
14
Goals
4
2
Big chances missed
1
6
Big chances created
4
1
Assists
3
0
Cross accuracy
16%
12%
Possession lost per game
6.7x
9.9x
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Laquintana’s form last year suggests that he has the quality to provide a greater threat than Yang at the top end of the pitch for the Hoops, if he can carry his form over to Scottish football.
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The 26-year-old forward is a more efficient finisher, given his superior goals to ‘big chances’ missed rate, and has more creativity to offer, with three times as many ‘big chances’ created in less than twice as many appearances.
Therefore, he could be an even better option than Yang on the right flank for the next boss, possibly with Bournemouth loanee Julian Araujo to support him down the right side at right-back.
Signing him on a loan-to-buy deal would also provide Celtic with an opportunity to properly assess him over the next few months before making a decision on whether or not to activate their buy option in the summer.
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This means that if he is unable to hit the ground running in Scotland and his form tails off, they can look elsewhere or continue with Yang as the first-choice in that role ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.