Hyeok-kyu Kwon, age 24, is a South Korean footballer, born on 13th March 2001. He's a midfielder who primarily plays as a central defensive midfielder. Currently, he is playing his trade for Nantes in the French top-flight league, Ligue 1. At 6ft 2in (1.9m) and weighing in at 12st 1lb (77kg), Kwon is an imposing figure on the pitch with his number 5 jersey. His talents have earned him caps for Korea Republic national team.
As stated by Transfermarkt, his current market value hovers around the £860K mark.
Kwon's professional career began in January 2019 when he joined Busan I'Park in the K League 2. In his debut season, he got a taste of first-team football twice. His time at Busan was intermittent with periods of progressive performance; season 2020 saw him make 16 first team appearances and net a goal, whereas by 2023 he had made 20 appearances, hitting the back of the net twice.
There was a brief detour in Kwon's career when he transferred to Gimcheon Sangmu in the K League 1 on loan in March 2021. Despite being there for a short period, he managed to gain valuable experience with 14 first team appearances. This figure increased to 19 during the 2022 season.
September 2022 saw Kwon return from Gimcheon Sangmu to Busan I'Park, where he continued to be a regular on the first team roster.
In July 2023, Kwon set his sights beyond the Korean Republic and journeyed towards the Scottish Premiership. He penned a deal with Celtic FC for a reported fee of £860k. However, his stint with Celtic was rather short-lived, with loan spells to Premiership sides St Mirren in January 2024 and Hibernian in August 2024. He was able to clock in eight and 21 first team appearances respectively.
Notably, during his time at Celtic, Kwon failed to significantly impact the first team, indicating his potential was yet to fully bloom during that period. Despite making inroads at clubs such as St Mirren and Hibernian, the young midfielder's spell at Celtic was unfortunately defined by his absence from key match-day selections.
Kwon bid adieu to the Hoops in July 2025, heading for French shores as he signed for Ligue 1 outfit Nantes for a reported fee of £220k. So far in the ongoing 2025-2026 season, he has made 12 appearances for Nantes, marking another chapter in his expanding football career.
