Celtic’s stars continue to shine.

The Hoops are on course for a sixth domestic treble in just nine seasons, currently 16 points clear at the top of the Premiership, with only nine games to play, and their next league fixture is the small matter of an Old Firm derby on Sunday week.

While Daizen Maeda, Nicolas Kühn and others have been taking the majority of the plaudits, one unsung hero deserves a mention, especially considering Celtic secured his services for a bargain price.

Massive fees paid for midfielders

The importance of central midfielders has never been appreciated more than it is now, underlined by the fact that Manchester City’s number six Rodri was presented with the Ballon d’Or last year.

This is also reflected by some of the transfer fees paid for defensive and central midfielders by many of Europe’s wealthiest clubs in recent years, as the table below outlines.

As the table outlines, not surprisingly, the vast majority of the most expensive transfers ever involving defensive midfielders have all come in the last three years, with Paul Pogba’s move to Manchester United the only one on the list from pre-2019.

While Chelsea and Real Madrid feature multiple times on this list, Declan Rice’s £105m move from West Ham United to Arsenal is possibly the most eye-catching, considering it smashed the Gunners’ transfer record, specifically the £72m splashed on Nicolas Pépé in the summer of 2019.

Sam Dean of the Telegraph believes Rice has been transformational for Arsenal, which is what you’d expect considering the outlay paid, but did Celtic sign a player comparable to Rice for just £1.4m?

Celtic's best bargain signing

Celtic signed Reo Hatate from J League side Kawasaki Frontale for a reported fee of £1.4m in January 2022, a deal former Hibs and Hearts midfielder Michael Stewart labelled “incredible”, adding that the midfielder is a “top-class player”.

Fair to say, Hatate settled in quickly, named man of the match on his debut against Hibs, scoring this screamer at Tynecastle a week later, before netting twice during a famous 3-0 Glasgow derby demolition the mid-week after that.

In total, Hatate has made 132 appearances in Hoops, scoring 23 goals and providing 24 assists, described by Declan McConville of Glasgow World as “exceptional”, while Andrew Smith of the Scotsman notes that he has been ‘central’ to Celtic’s recent success.

Meantime, earlier this season, manager Brendan Rodgers labelled the Japanese midfielder a “wonderfully gifted player”, so let’s see how he compares to Rice – a player he is deemed to be similar to among those in his position in the Champions League, as per FBref.

As the table outlines, similar to Rice, Hatate ranks highly at both ends of the park, scoring goals and providing assists, but is also an exceptional ball carrier, while willing to get stuck in defensively.

In the past, Brighton have reportedly been interested in the Japanese international’s signature, while Keith Jackson of the Daily Record believes he could depart this summer.

If Hatate does depart, considering Transfermarkt currently value the 27-year-old at around £10m, Celtic would make a handsome profit on their initial investment, especially considering how much Premier League clubs are willing to spend on midfielders.

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By
Ben Gray

Mar 7, 2025