Celtic have done a great job when it comes to keeping the core of their squad together despite the departure of Ange Postecoglou somewhat out of the blue. Jota and Carl Starfelt might have left in the summer but other than that, they have held on to all of their key players. And not just that. They have been agreeing long-term extensions with them as well.
Kyogo Furuhashi, Callum McGregor, Daizen Maeda, Liel Abada, Anthony Ralson and Stephen Welsh have all agreed long-term contract extensions with the club since the arrival of Brendan Rodgers. And now, another name has been added to that list.
As reported by the club’s official website, Reo Hatate has signed a new five-year deal with Celtic. It will see him remain at Parkhead until 2028.
The news will be music to the ears of the supporters. They have been waiting for Hatate to sign a new deal for a while, as there were fears that he could end up leaving the club this summer. Fortunately, that did not happen and now, it looks like he sees his future in Glasgow.
Celtic finally make long-awaited evening announcement
Admittedly, Hatate did not make a good start under the management of Rodgers. He seemed sluggish and there were doubts as to whether he was fully focused with all the speculation about a potential exit.
Hatate would then end up getting injured and spending some time on the sidelines. The Japanese midfielder has recovered since then and returned to the pitch.
Upon his return, he has looked a lot more focused and seems to have won back his place in the starting XI once again. There might be a few more steps before we can consider Hatate to be back at his best but he certainly seems to be heading in a positive direction right now.