Celtic have looked off colour for several games this season.
Whatever Celtic fans think of how the 2025 summer transfer window panned out, and the actions of the under-fire board.
Several players haven’t been performing at their best, with Chris Sutton noting the situation around Daizen Maeda, including how he has been ‘singled out.’
But Sutton also wanted to put the name of Reo Hatate on the table.
- READ MORE: Barry Bannan states what the Celtic players didn’t ‘trust’ with Adam Idah and Daizen Maeda
Reo Hatate’s ‘sluggish’ start amid Daizen Maeda being ‘singled out’
On Saturday, Celtic drew 0-0 with Hibernian, with Hatate missing through injury, but he did play against Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League last week.
The all-action midfielder was pretty poor in that match, but Sutton thinks, in the opening months of the new campaign, he has started ‘sluggishly’, as he told the Warm-Up.
“Maybe, just maybe, so he’s (Maeda) the one who’s been singled out,” said Sutton. “But if you look at Celtic in the European competition this year, in the forward areas, he’s one of many who haven’t performed.
“And if you look at the likes of Reo Hatate as well, he’s started the season sluggishly.”
Kris Boyd: “You suggesting he’s spitting his dummy out now because he’s his countrymen never got a move?”
Sutton: “I’m not suggesting that. Celtic, at this moment in time, it’s not ideal. They are still a work in progress.”
Hatate’s stats for Celtic this season
The frustrating thing with Hatate is the fact that everyone knows, when he is on it, nobody in the Celtic team probably comes close to him.
Just go back to Celtic’s win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League last season, but those performances have been few and far between.
- Hatate’s WhoScored rating against Red Star Belgrade: 6.02
- Against Kilmarnock: 6.87
- Against Rangers: 6.99
- Against Aberdeen: 7.49
- Against St Mirren: 6.3
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