'Smooth handling' - Why Celtic midfielder has made move to Hibs as Brendan Rodgers praised for role

Celtic midfielder Kwon Hyeok-kyu has moved to a second William Hill Premiership team on loan by joining Hibs.

The defensive midfielder has signed on for the season at Easter Road after enjoying an impressive spell with St Mirren in the second half of last term. The 23-year-old joins Hibs duration of the 2024/25 campaign and becomes the first player from South Korea to play for Hibs.

Kwon is yet to play for Celtic’s first team after joining from the second tier of South Korean football in the summer of 2023 but he became a fan favourite in Paisley, making nine starts before injury ended his season prematurely.

Hibs head coach David Gray said: “As a player, he’s a great athlete, he’s very competitive and comfortable on the ball. He showed these capabilities during an impressive loan spell last season.”

Hyeok-kyu Kwon has joined Hibs on loan from Celtic. | Cameron Allan Photography Ltd

Hibs doubled their summer transfer tally to eight last week and have gone back into the market after losing their opening two league games. Sporting director Malky Mackay added: “We’re really pleased to make Hyeok-kyu our ninth signing of the summer transfer window.

“He is another top professional to add to the first-team group, comes with a good pedigree and adds a real presence on the pitch. We’d like to thank Brendan Rodgers and Celtic for the smooth handling of the move and how quickly and efficiently we were able to get this deal done.”

Celtic confirmed the deal on their social channels, posting: "#CelticFC's Hyeokkyu Kwon has joined Hibernian on a season-long loan. Best of luck, Kwon."