Kevin Campbell has been giving his thoughts to Celtic’s reported swoop for Kawasaki Frontale star Reo Hatate, as per Football Insider.
The Lowdown: Hatate move edges closer…
It seems as if Ange Postecoglou and Michael Nicholson are making progress when it comes to potential January additions.
Celtic are thought to have agreed on deals for both Yosuke Ideguchi and Hatate, with previous reports claiming that the latter could arrive before the club’s 2022 winter training camp.
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Hatate’s contract with his J1 League employers expires at the end of January, but with an agreement seemingly in place, it appears as if Celtic could pay a cut-price fee to sign him as soon as the winter window opens.
The Latest: Campbell’s comments
Campbell, who regularly features on Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider regarding the agreement with Kawasaki Frontale for Hatate.
He backed the Hoops to make a ‘big profit’ on the versatile midfielder in the future, labelling a move now as ‘smart’, saying:
“It’s smart management.
“Looking at Japan, they have made some moves there and they have already paid off.
“There is talent there, just like there is talent everywhere. The key is, can you tap into it?
“It’s a market Celtic are pretty comfortable with right now. It’s affordable too, which is also key.
“They can only enhance their playing staff by recruiting from there. When the time does come to sell them on, I expect they will sell them on at a big profit.”
The Verdict: Postecoglou playing the market perfectly
Postecoglou didn’t go all-in when it came to the Japanese market in his first transfer window with Celtic.
His only addition from the Far East was Kyogo Furuhashi, though his £4.86m switch to Parkhead has proven to be an inspired one, with the forward contributing to 19 goals already this season.
You’d expect that the Hoops could easily make a huge profit on Furuhashi if any clubs came calling, and after reaping the rewards, it makes sense to dip into the market again with cut-price moves for Ideguchi and Hatate in a league that Postecoglou knows well.
Daizen Maeda could also be another reported Celtic target to swap Japan for Scotland, so it could be a busy start to the New Year for the Hoops.
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