Hatate turns down moves away from Celtic

Where does this leave us ahead of the Champions League Playoff?

Hatate turns down moves away from Celtic

The Daily Mail’s Stephen McGowan is reporting that Reo Hatate has turned down the chance to leave Celtic this summer. The Japanese midfielder had been expected to leave the club this window after playing no minutes so far this season. Greek giants Panathinaikos and a team from the MLS have offered Hatate a way out of Celtic Park but the Japanese International did not find the proposals appealing. Hatate has not featured regularly for MON since he moved to right back in the loss against Dundee Utd at Tannadice last season. We will now have to see whether he is reintegrated into the team with key personal missing ahead of the big Champions League game midweek.

What does this mean ahead of LASK

Suddenly Celtic are looking incredibly light in the middle of the park ahead of the playoff game against the Austrian champions LASK. With Engels being sold and Oxlade-Chamberlain suspended, Celtic will now have to look towards McGregor, McCowan, Nygren and new boy Baur to fill the centre midfield roles for the two legged tie. Could this be a chance for Hatate to be reintegrated into the team with the hoops looking light in the middle of the park? In all honesty, it’s unlikely he starts the game. He hasn’t featured at all this season which probably tells its own story about where he fits into O’Neills plans moving forward. If he is fit enough to play there might be a chance to motivate the midfielder enough to help get us through to the next round. Can the manager encourage Reo to give us a big performance in exchange for putting himself in the shop window ahead of the transfer deadline? Hatate clearly doesn’t want to be at Celtic anymore and has previously stated his desire for a move to a top 5 league. So far those moves haven’t materialised.

One last memorable moment Reo?

Could this be one last dance for Reo and the club maybe. Could he feature over the two legs and help the club qualify for the Champions League before earning the move he desires? We know he’s more than capable of putting in a strong performance and helping the team but in recent years the top quality moments have become less and less. Maybe this is an opportunity for him to show everybody the quality of player we know he can be. Martin may be forced to use him in some capacity over the two legs. Let’s see what Reo we get if he does feature.

All views expressed on Celtic DNA are personal opinions and are for commentary and discussion purposes only

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