The amount of new contract extensions being announced by Celtic over the last week or so has certainly taken the sting out of losing Jota to the Saudi Arabian league.
The new deals handed out to Callum McGregor, Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi have sent out a real positive message to the Celtic support. Even though we lost the manager, we will not lose this squad.
Because that was the fear, wasn’t it? The minute Ange left for Spurs, he would look to spend their millions and raid Celtic Park of their top talents.
And as yet, none of that has materialised. Instead, what we have seen is the Celtic board, along with Brendan Rodgers, look to tie down those very players that many would have expected to follow Postecoglou down into the English Premier League.
But there is one player that Celtic must now prioritise sorting out his future. And that is Reo Hatate.
The Japanese midfielder has been a superb signing for Celtic. Over the last year and a half, he has been pivotal to our domestic success and has shown that he can perform at the highest level in the Champions League. And with Brendan Rodgers specifically looking to make his mark in Europe, Hatate will be central to that.
His 13 goals and 14 assists in 66 appearances for the club have proven to be just a small part of his contribution to Celtic’s cause. [Transfermarkt]
Of course, how he dictates play and opens up space for Kyogo to do his thing in front of goal is just another reason why we need to get his long-term future tied down.
Many may well say that there is no rush to extend his deal. He is still contracted to 2026 but that’s not really the point. It’s about sending another message to not only potential suitors that he is not for sale, but also to show Hatate how much Celtic values him as a major part of the club.
Celtic would really cap off a great week or two by tieing down Hatate to a new deal with improved terms. I for one certainly hope that the board are looking to get this done as soon as they possibly can.
In other news, Al-Ittihad coach on Jota’s decision to leave Celtic
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