St. Mirren have opened talks to extend the loan of Celtic midfielder Kwon beyond the summer, according to the club’s manager Stephen Robinson.
The South Korean midfielder has done nothing but impress in his temporary spell in Paisley so far. He has remained gritty, yet equally as silky, in the middle of the park for the Buddies, putting in several standout displays.
Kwon failed to challenge for a place in the Celtic team after signing for the club on a five-year deal from Busan IPark in the summer.
The move to St. Mirren was then organised last month to ensure the 22-year-old could get vital game time and after just six appearances in black and white, gaffer Robinson has seen enough to attempt to extend the loan.
Speaking after his side’s 2-0 win over St. Johnston on Saturday in which Kwon had a world-class goal chopped off, the Northern Irishman admitted discussions are underway with the Parkhead hierarchy to elongate his temporary spell: “He’s someone we’d really like to keep”, he said (RecordSport).
“We’re speaking to Celtic about it, perhaps keeping him for another season with ourselves. We’d be very keen to do that, but he isn’t our player and that won’t be our decision.
“It’s something we’d be very keen to get done. It’s possibly a long way off happening, but that would be in an ideal world for me.”
It remains to be seen whether Brendan Rodgers will look to give Kwon an opportunity in the first team following his loan, or if he will allow him to remain at the SMISA Stadium for another while before doing so.
St. Mirren would certainly be in favour of the latter, with Robinson praising the impact he has made on the team so far: “He’s added that bit of quality and composure”, he said.
“He’s been terrific since he came into the club. He’s been a breath of fresh air, a really talented player. He gives us a lot of ownership in games, real composure on the ball.”
