It’s safe to say that Reo Hatate is adapting very well to the hustle and bustle of Scottish football.
The former Kawasaki Frontale star, a fresh face in the Glasgow Celtic lineup during the winter transfer window, has taken the Scottish Premiership like a duck to water. With all the hype surrounding him following the impressive performances of countryman Kyogo Furuhashi in Celtic colors – as well as Hatate’s own impressive showings with Kawasaki – the young midfielder has so far justified all the hype about him, scoring three goals and bagging an assist from four league matches so far.
And two of those goals along with that lone assist? They came in an all-important Old Firm tie against arch-rivals Glasgow Rangers last midweek.
Hatate was the shining star for Celtic as they romped to a 3-0 victory over league leaders Rangers, which catapulted Ange Postecoglou’s Bhoys to the summit of the Scottish top-flight. Despite playing without an injured Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda – who’s away on international duty, Celtic remained too strong for their opponents as a double whammy from Hatate and a goal from Liel Abada, assisted by the man Hatate himself, ensured all three points at Celtic Park.
Inevitably, Hatate’s impressive performance drew the praises of many, including Scottish football greats John McGinn and Andy Robertson.
“Hatate outrageous,” Aston Villa’s McGinn tweeted, while Liverpool player Robertson tweeted similar praise towards Hatate, hailing him as “a serious player.”
Celtic manager Postecoglou was equally ecstatic by his player’s performance, stating that there’s more to come from the 24-year old. Hatate’s fitness level was his only weakness so far during his brief time in Scotland, with the midfielder failing to see out an entire 90 minutes of a match in his four appearances.
Despite this, Postecoglou played this as Hatate still adapting to the higher intensity that came with Scottish football, especially considering Hatate had just finished the 2021 J.League 1 season back in December. But Postecoglou promised that as Hatate plays more games, his fitness level would slowly improve and he will be able to see out an entire match within no time.
And already Hatate’s impressive performances have attracted him some suitors. An article from Football Insider by Noel Whelan suggested that teams within the bottom half of the Premier League table are plotting a move for Hatate this summer. And with each impressive performance that the young midfielder churns out, the more his stock will rise.
Last Sunday alone, Hatate once again turned heads as Celtic thrashed Motherwell 4-0 at the latter’s Fir Park, with the former Kawasaki player bagging himself his second assist of the season that allowed Liel Abada to score the opener in the 28th minute.