Celtic reveal surprise contract extension after exit door slammed shut

The South Korean was primed for a £3million transfer to Birmingham City last summer only for the move to collapse on transfer deadline day after the clubs failed to finalise the paperwork in time.

The 23-year-old went on to have a successful season for the Hoops, contributing 10 goals and three assists in 46 appearances as Celtic retained their Scottish Premiership title on the final day. His sparkling form also resulted in a recall to the South Korean squad for the 2026 World Cup.

Yang will now aim to sign off with a Scottish Cup final victory over Dunfermline at Hampden on Saturday after extending his Parkhead deal until 2030.

“I’m so happy to sign the new contract," Yang told Celtic TV. "I love this club and my future is here. I’m happy, and though the season was a little bit hard, we are Champions and hopefully next season it will be easier. I also want to show better performances in the European games.”

Recently voted Young Player of the Year by Celtic fans, Yang added: “I know when I play, the fans always supported me and I’m really happy to be here, so I want to say thank you very much.”

Martin O'Neill has been credited with resuscitating Yang's career at Celtic and the manager, who could be in the dugout for the last time this weekend, has backed the player to continue to improve next season.

He said: “I’m absolutely delighted, because on transfer deadline day he was down at Birmingham City, so I’m pleased that didn’t go through. Obviously, I didn’t know him at that time, but there was something about him in training that you felt he’s got a bit of something – he can go past players, he can deal with the ball, all those particular things.

"He maybe just needed a bit of confidence-boosting as much as anything else, but he’s done wonderfully well. It’s how you deal with the situations. I think that confidence is a major thing and if you’re going into games with a lack of confidence as a wide player, and I know this myself, the last thing you want to do is lose the ball a couple of times. Because you just go into your shell and you don’t want to take people on in case you lose it again. What you’ll do is just do the safe thing and pass the ball back.

“So, a lot of that there definitely needs encouragement, but then when you know that you have it and you feel that people are on your side, that’s the lovely thing about it, and he’s done wonderfully well.”

And on what Yang can bring to the Celtic team going forward, O'Neill added: “The very obvious thing is improvement.

“He tries to improve his game, he tries to visualise situations when he’s got the ball wide, when players are coming in to crowd him out, what does he do there?

“The last thing you want to do is come inside and flick a silly little ball to somebody that doesn’t exist.

“So those are the types of things that I think he definitely can improve in, but in terms of confidence, he’s got it this season.

“People believe in him and that’s very important, but the overall improvement in his game, I think he can take it a stage further, and obviously that’s what I’m hoping."