Hyeok-kyu Kwon, born on 13 March 2001 in the Korea Republic, is a 24-year-old professional footballer serving as a central defensive midfielder for Nantes. With an imposing structure of 6ft 2in (1.9m) and a weight of 12st 1lb (77kg), Kwon is indeed an impressive figure on the pitch. His aforementioned stature coupled with his capabilities on the field have earned him a current market value of approximately £620k according to Transfermarkt. Presently, Kwon is playing under a contract with Nantes that expires on 31 May 2025, a mere 2 months from now.
In January 2019, Kwon earned his debut with Busan I'Park in the K League 2 in his native Korea Republic. In his initial season with Busan I'Park, Kwon secured two first-team appearances in league matches. His participation surged in the 2020 season with 16 first-team appearances, accented by scoring his first goal for the club. The following year in 2021, Kwon was transferred on loan to Gimcheon Sangmu in the K League 1, where he partook in a commendable 14 first team league matches. In the 2022 season, still with Gimcheon Sangmu, Kwon maintained his consistency with 19 first team league match appearances.
By September 2022, Kwon's loan tenure concluded and he returned to Busan I'Park. However, an exciting development emerged in July 2023 where Kwon transitioned from his native league to the Scottish Premiership, joining ranks with Celtic. The transaction was completed for a reported fee of around £860k.
Kwon's tenure with Celtic was marked by additional loan stints at fellow Premiership sides St Mirren and Hibernian in January and August 2024, respectively. At St Mirren, the midfielder racked up eight first-team appearances in league matches for the 2023 - 2024 season, and concluded his stint at Hibernian for the 2024 - 2025 season with an impressive 21 first team league match appearances.
In a somewhat surprising development, Kwon's journey with Celtic came to a close in July 2025 when he transferred to Nantes in Ligue 1 of France for a modest fee of around £220k. As we eagerly anticipate watching Kwon's continued progression amidst the excitement of the French top flight, our memory of his overarching contribution to the Hoops remains poignant. His stint, albeit brief and punctuated by loans, was not without merit and Kwon leaves behind a brisk impression of a player who held his ground and fought hard in the heart of the midfield. Moving forward, we Celtic fans can only wish him the very best with Nantes and beyond.
