It is being suggested that Celtic are now ready to accept an offer for the club hero this summer.
Celtic could be set to undergo quite a bit of change this summer. That is unusual for a team that has just won the Premiership and Scottish Cup double. And most believe that if they had stuck with Martin O'Neill throughout, they would have secured the treble.
That being said, even that would not have changed the fact that Celtic did not meet their standards this season in terms of style and quality of football.
For the most part, it was O'Neill trying to squeeze out results out of a weak squad that had been further weakened due to injuries and general stagnation over time.
It is unclear whether O'Neill will get the job on a permanent basis or not. That door is still open. But it is more likely that the club will go a fresh route.
One of the players who has been at Celtic for more than four years now is Reo Hatate. He was signed in the same window as Daizen Maeda. But both of them might have very different ends to their Parkhead careers.
Maeda was instrumental in securing Celtic the double and might have secured his legacy forever as a result of his run. On the other hand, Hatate barely got on the pitch in the final weeks of the campaign. Someday, we would like to hear why that was the case.
According to Football Insider, Celtic are already planning to accept an offer for Hatate this summer. The club have already moved on from the 28-year-old in terms of their long-term plans.
Well, a couple of years back, there would have been plenty of interest in signing Hatate. He was considered amongst the best players in Scotland. And he had more than held his own in the Champions League.
The hype around Hatate has faded away lately, though. As a result, one can only wonder how many clubs would be willing to make significant offers to sign him this summer.
Matters have not been helped by how little football we have seen Hatate play in recent times. Whatever may have been the reason, from the outside looking in, it appeared that he was dropped during an important of the season. That is never going to improve a player's transfer valuation.
Now, it is a lot more likely that Celtic would have to accept an offer that will leave fans disappointed. Let's see what the future holds.
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