Former Rangers transfer chief eyes triple raid on Celtic amid star's 'I want to challenge myself' admission
Celtic midfielder linked with a move away from Parkhead this summer.
Reo Hatate has been rumoured as a surprise target for West Ham United, with reports claiming the EFL Championship side are considering a move for up to three Celtic players.
Hatate, 29, barely featured in the club’s end-of-season run-in as they won a league and Scottish cup double under their 74-year-old boss Martin O’Neill, despite being a mainstay in the Hoops’ midfield since joining in January 2021 from Kawasaki Frontale, and has already discussed a potential exit this summer.
The Japanese international is said to be one of several Scottish Premiership players on the Hammers’ transfer wishlist following the appointment of former Ibrox chief scout, Nils Koppen, with Rangers’ Connor Barron also linked to the London Stadium last week.
In a revealing interview to Japanese outlet Fergus earlier this month, Hatate outlined his future ambitious and admitted a desire to “challenge himself” in a top five league, saying: “At that time [he joined Celtic], I wanted to go overseas. I wanted to go to the Champions League. I really admire the stage of the Champions League. I want to challenge myself in the top five leagues.
“I’m not saying I’m satisfied, but I played in the Champions League [with Celtic]. I played at a high level, but I haven’t been able to play at a high level every week. I want to play in the major five leagues. I want to play in the Champions League and the Europa League. That’s my goal.”
Rumours of an imminent departure were heightened when he missed Celtic’s first pre-season test against Shelbourne in Dublin last week, though O’Neill explained his omission was due to him having returned late to pre-season with sickness. He was named on the bench for the 4-1 friendly defeat to Sporting CP in the Algarve on Tuesday night, but the 74-year-old manager still thinks an exit is likely.
“I think that Reo has done exceptionally well at the football club since he arrived," said O’Neill last week. "People have said he might even have been the best player in Scotland two or three years ago. I think myself that he’s probably looking to maybe see if there’s new pastures for him. I’ll see how it goes with him here when he’s there. Like everything else, during this particular time, it’s a bit unsettling for players, a wee bit like [Daizen] Maeda. So, you just don’t know.”
One of the club’s most successful J-League imports, he has played a key role over the last four-and-a-half seasons at Parkhead, helping the club lift win Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups. He was surprisingly linked with a return to his homeland last month with Kashima Antlers, who are managed by his former Kawasaki Frontale boss Toru Oniki, but is now reportedly being tracked by West Ham.
Relegated to the second tier for the first time in 14 years last season, Nuno Espírito Santo’s side are aiming to make an immediate return to the English Premier League and installed ex-Rangers head of scouting, Koppen, as their new director of player recruitment last week. According to reports, this has led them to interest in three unnamed Celtic players, claiming that one of the trio of players currently under consideration is a Japanese international.
It adds that West Ham view “creativity as one of the key priorities during this transfer window.” Daizen Maeda’s rumoured price tag of £20m upwards would likely take him out of the Hammers’ price range amid his desire to play in the English Premier League which would leave Hatate as the only option.
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