Celtic pulled off a transfer masterstroke when they signed Reo Hatate from Kawasaki Frontale in January of last year. He had been a standout in Japan and has taken to Scottish football like a duck to water. The midfielder came in and made an immediate impact, and it was his brace against the Rangers last year, which turned the title race in favour of the Hoops on a magical night at Parkhead.
After that, Hatate seemed to stumble though. It looked like the Japanese midfielder had run out of steam after his first month or so at the club and struggled to produce his best. It was understandable though, as he had come straight from a full season in Japan, and there was also the matter of adjusting to new surroundings.
This season, Hatate has taken his game to a next level and is proving to be decisive in the middle of the park for Celtic. He provided the assist for Kyogo’s second goal against the Rangers in the Scottish League Cup final.
Ange Postecoglou has been clearly impressed by Hatate, but appears to believe that he can get even better. As reported by Sky Sports, the Celtic manager said:
"“When he came in 12 months ago, he had an impact straight away.“We knew it would be a tough initiation for him because he’d come off the back of a full Japanese league season, whereas this year he had a pre-season with us.“Over the last month he’s just gone to another level and I certainly believe there are another couple of levels in him as a footballer.“He’s enjoying it and he’s making more of an impact, which is great for us.”"
Celtic boss makes sensational claim about Hatate
It is safe to say that Hatate is already performing at a very high level for Celtic. But at the same time, it is very possible that he could get even better.
After all, he has only been at Parkhead for a little over a year and this is his first taste of European football. Thus, he could definitely take his game up a level or two more.
What will be interesting to see is how long Celtic are able to hold on to Hatate. Because at the level he is playing right now, the Japanese midfielder has certainly caught the interest of clubs around Europe already.