Former Celtic striker Andy Walker has delivered a brutal verdict on Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda’s Parkhead futures.
Hatate has come under fire at Celtic for his recent performances and Maeda looks like a different player this season as Walker believes it’s time to let both players leave the club.
Maeda has gone from being Celtic’s Player of the Year last season to a striker bereft of confidence after his summer transfer collapsed last year.
How much would you sell Reo Hatate for?
And now that both players are struggling for form, Walker says it’s time for Celtic to cut their losses and let both go in the summer.
Walker says Reo Hatate needs to be dropped by Celtic
Hatate was responsible for conceding a Celtic penalty midweek as the Bhoys left it late to beat Livingston.
And Walker thinks now is the perfect time for Martin O’Neill to give the Japanese midfielder a spell on the sidelines.
Walker told The Go Radio Football Show, “Yeah, he could have headed it clear, but I think it was a clear penalty.
“I think he, just listening to friends and family that were at the game, said he didn’t really contribute that much and I don’t know, maybe it’s time for him to come out the team a wee bit.”
Andy Walker predicts Hatate and Daizen Maeda’s ‘last season at Celtic’
Indeed, Hatate isn’t the only player having a poor season at Celtic. Daizen Maeda is not firing on all cylinders either as the Japan striker is well off the boil.
And the Walker thinks it’s time to let him and Hatate leave at the end of this season.
Walker continued, “I mean, I think when you look at all the Japanese players and what they’ve contributed, I think even Maeda, who was really disappointed that he didn’t get that chance to move when he thought everything was done and dusted, I think those players have probably come to the end of their time.
At what price would you consider selling Daizen Maeda?
“I think this will be their last season at Celtic, both Hatate and Maeda. But you want to try and go out on a high.
“I know there’s going to be a huge turnaround in the summer, but before then, if you’re in pole position to get as many games as you can, you want to try and contribute and make it another season to remember.”
The problem that Celtic have is that they will need to spend big to replace these two and the transfer fees they would have commanded at their peak will no longer be available.
As for Hatate and Maeda, if both want to leave Celtic as heroes then they need to get themselves out of the current funk and start producing on the park.
Because if the title is lost and both players have not been giving 100% each week, the barrage of criticism they will face, as well as the damage to their legacy, will be astronomical.
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