Reo Hatate

If we manage to keep him by the summer I’ll be * delighted, only good thing we have going to get another year out of him is he wasn’t at the World Cup. If he went we’d have no chance.

 

He’s been the man of the moment and that was reflected in his capture of the cinch Premiership Player of the Month award for February.

Reo Hatate has been a man in form in 2023 and especially in the previous month where he was back in amongst the goals, scoring four times and ending the month with a League Cup winner's medal at Hampden last Sunday.

The Japanese midfielder is loving his football at the moment and while he is thankful for winning the latest player award, he is hungry to keep improving alongside his team-mates.

Speaking at Lennoxtown today, Hatate said: “Every time I play I do my best and it’s an honour to have this award.

“In every training and practice I do my best and I really enjoy the moments with my team-mates. Football is a sport with 11 players so it’s not only my effort but a huge thanks to my team-mates.

'I really enjoy working under the manager and he gives me a new challenge every game which brings me to a new higher level.'

“There are good and bad moments but if I can improve on the bad things then I can bring myself to another level, so I will work hard and try my best.

“I think I’m doing pretty well and I’m a player that can make a difference in the final third. That’s the key for the team as well so I want a good number in terms of goals and assists.”

Fresh off the back of the League Cup final win over Rangers, Hatate is clear that confidence is high at Lennoxtown as the team looks ahead to a return to the Scottish Premiership on Sunday and an away game against St Mirren




Having spent the 24 hours after the full-time whistle at the National Stadium celebrating the victory, very quickly the focus for Ange Postecoglou's side shifted to the trip to Paisley, a venue where Celtic did lose earlier in the season.

However, in the most recent meeting between the sides, Celtic defeated St Mirren 5-1 in the Scottish Cup in February, with Hatate scoring twice, and the aim is to ensure there's more to celebrate come full-time at the weekend.

The midfielder added: “It’s pretty obvious that the final gives me confidence, but my focus is just on Sunday’s game right now.

“It was a happy moment and I celebrated with my family and friends until the next day.

“Right after that, the training started and it was easy for me to turn up again and switch on and the only focus now is Sunday.

“We lost against St Mirren this season at their home and we can’t repeat that again, so we will do our best and try and get the result we want.”

 

Id put him on the same level as Stan Petrov right now

 

Never the full story at all this but got me thinking:

Stan Petrov: 240 games, 57 goals, 39 assists
A goal or assist every 2.5 games

Reo Hatate: 55 games, 12 goals, 12 assists
A goal or assist every 2.29 games

 

If he had gone, and even simply entered as a substitute in most games, he'd have broken my tired Croatia, the Brazil without a midfield, and would have coped with the aggressive Argentinians just fine (facing hammer throwers in Scotland gets one used to unsportsmanlike behavior). He played when Japan thrashed France at the Olympics. I think people know what I'm getting at here, and it's not much of an exaggeration.

And yes, we would not hold onto a World Cup winner.

 

I could see Newcastle trying to get him for £25mill which is an insult.

He's worth more than life itself

 

I'm wary of trying to rank him against other midfielders we've had in the modern era just because it still feels like such early days with him. I'm convinced he has another couple of levels to go up, after which he'll be frightening.

One more year at least with us, I reckon.

 

Anyone got a clip of the replay of his first half effort off the bar? Genuinely looked like he dented the crossbar

 

That wee drag back to Jota first half..

 

That was the other one. He did another on the other side that Jota had a shot saved off the chest..

Wee man is unreal..

 

Will try and get it amount of times I miss things during a game

 

In the form of his life.

Love the mad yin

 

On ability and potential alone we should be asking for no less than £25m. That's not deluion either he's that good, only thing stopping us getting that much may be his age but being 25 he's not even in his prime yet so any club signing him will be getting another 6-7 years out of him.

 

The difference to our midfield when he came on man...

 

Comfortably our best player.

Never drop him again Ange!

 

They were trying to injure him. Dirty * *