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Reo Hatate

Discussion in 'Transfer Rumours' started by MickeyyMack, Nov 3, 2021.

Discuss Reo Hatate in the Transfer Rumours area at TalkCeltic.net.

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  1. JamesM09

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    Let them fight.
     
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  2. McGrory1888

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    Work permit papers were lodged last week apparently. Done deal and Kawasaki happy for him to join up with us for training before his contract officially ends.

    For all he can sign on January 1st though, is he actually able to be registered to play on the 2nd? I thought that players can only be registered with the SFA Monday to Friday.
     
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  3. MacEwan Himmy Butler Gold Member

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    I’d imagine, and hope, you can have everything signed on the Friday so it’s ready to go for the weekend.
     
  4. Hammy89 Gold Member Gold Member

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    I have a real fear for the league if he is similar quality to Kyogo. If we're to bring in two or three players of Kyogo and Jota's calibre, you're looking at a * of a rebuild and a strong foundation moving forward.
     
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  5. Hammy89 Gold Member Gold Member

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    Bhoy looks class in the middle.
     
  6. Henrik 07 Gold Member Gold Member

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    Hopefully get this done soon.
     
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  7. Slaw Gold Member Gold Member

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    Japan were pure class at the 2018 World Cup. There’s some serious talent there and I’m delighted that we’re delving in to that market.
     
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  8. Moore Brendan Rodgers OUT Gold Member

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    Aye he looks rapid! Head up when hes got the ball, looking forward every time. Guy couldnt be more of what Kyogo needs.
     
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  9. muaythai postie

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    A Glasgow derby debut similar to lubo's
     
  10. King of Kings

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    Not a reason to sign someone; but they all seem t be very likeable as well. No real ego’s, ridiculously humble for high level footballers, and willing to put in a shift.
     
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  11. Moore Brendan Rodgers OUT Gold Member

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    Think that's a Japanese thing all together tbh! Got a few houses in my estate with Japanese families and there all so humble.
     
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  12. G40B

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    It was unthinkable that a player of Kyogo’s ability would go under the radar, so I have high hopes for this guy.

    Hopefully we also get the striker who loves pressing from that league; would love to see how Kyogo is when someone else does the pressing for him.
     
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  13. Wllm Gold Member Gold Member

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    Just watched the Kawasaki vs Yokohama game. He looked like a decent player. Great on the half turn and quite clever in possession. Probably wouldn't win many aerial challenges here though. Excited if this deal goes through.

    Maeda played and scored also.
     
  14. craigtheceltic

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    The commentator :56:

    “It’s clear that Ange Postecoglou is raiding the country” :56:
     
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  15. Wllm Gold Member Gold Member

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    :56:

    Tbf can see why. A few players from both teams I liked the look of. What did you think of Maeda?
     
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  16. craigtheceltic

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    Didn’t watch the whole game, was watching the extended highlights, but he’s like Kyogo. Pops up everywhere and looks to run in behind. Thought he was a little unlucky not to score another, one nicked off his toes and the other a bit more composure.
     
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  17. littlekennie

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    Out with the french in with the Japanese


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  18. Wllm Gold Member Gold Member

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    The man covered some amount of ground. Good movement and looked quite strong. I agree he looked a similar type of striker to Kyogo but his game seemed to be more physical and less about the finesse. Very quick too.

    Did have a couple of diddy moments failing to control a simple pass and missing a mid-air swipe but hopefully those were just one of those rare days for him. I'd definitely try and sign him.
     
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  19. Henrik 07 Gold Member Gold Member

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    https://theathletic.co.uk/2985217/2...-8/?article_source=search&search_query=celtic


    Reo Hatate’s contract at Kawasaki Frontale expires at the end of next month and Celtic appear keen on signing the versatile Japan Under-23 international on a free transfer.

    There is talk that Celtic may even push to get him out of the final weeks of his contract — the Japanese season ends the weekend before Christmas — so he can join their training camp during the Premiership’s post-New Year winter break.

    With Kyogo Furuhashi’s arrival at Celtic Park in the summer and the J1-League’s current joint-top scorer Daizen Maeda also among the club’s January targets, the versatile Hatate’s signing would continue Ange Postecoglou’s building of a veritable J1-League Allstars team in Glasgow following his own move from Yokohama F Marinos before this season.

    Another Japanese talent naturally attracts plenty of excitement. So, what is Hatate’s story?

    Well, like Furuhashi, he turned professional through Japan’s football university programme.

    When the J-League was first formed, clubs did not have well-structured academies like those in Europe. Players instead tended to go through high school and straight into the J-League if they were good enough, or to football-oriented universities if they were not deemed ready for professional football.

    Furuhashi, for example, attended Chuo University and did not turn pro until he joined second-tier FC Gifu around his 22nd birthday in 2017. “University football is very good, and (Hatate) was at one of the best universities for it in Juntendo,” explains Japanese sports journalist Dan Orlowitz.

    After high school in Suzuka, in Japan’s southerly Mie Prefecture, the now 24-year-old Hatate attended the prestigious Juntendo University in Tokyo. As an illustration of the standard of university football in Japan, this season Juntendo eliminated J1-League side FC Tokyo in the nation’s primary cup competition, the Emperor’s Cup. That’s like Stirling University eliminating Dundee United from the Scottish FA Cup.

    Hatate (pronounced Hah-tah-tay; Reo is pronounced Ray-oh) was well-regarded at the time, and called up for Japan’s squads at the 2017 and 2019 Summer Universiade — an annual multi-sport event for university athletes organised by the International University Sports Federation. He scored three times in the first tournament and twice in the second as Japan won both. In 2018, he was part of the Japan Under-23s side disappointingly eliminated in the quarter-finals of the AFC Championship.

    The following year, Hatate represented Japan in the prestigious Toulon Tournament in the south of France, where youth teams anywhere between under-17s and under-23s level from around the world are invited to participate. Japan lost on penalties to Brazil in the final, with Hatate missing the decisive spot-kick. Eight months later, his move to Kawasaki was confirmed.

    “Coming on to Kawasaki, he was a special designated player,” Orlowitz says. “That lets him train and play for a top team (during the 2019 J1-League season) while still being eligible for university. He came to the fore in 2020





    The 2019 J1-League winners were Yokohama, managed by a certain A. Postecoglou. Their triumph stopped Kawasaki’s march for three league titles in a row. Kawasaki needed new talent to help reassert their dominance, and as one of the biggest prospects from that year’s university programme, Hatate was just that. He has lifted the trophy in both of his J1-League seasons with Kawasaki, including the current campaign that ends this weekend.

    “He’s always been a player with a lot of promise,” Orlowitz says, “and I think, in 2020 especially, we saw that in the way he slotted right into a difficult team. For him to constantly be a part of that championship-winning team is a testament to how good he is.”

    He gradually became a mainstay in the starting XI in his debut season, and then a key player in 2021, whether used at left-back, on either wing or as a No 8.

    Although he has yet to be capped at senior level, he was called up to the squad for the first time last month. He, like Maeda, featured for Japan in this summer’s Olympics in Tokyo, where the home nation got to the semi-finals before losing 1-0 to Spain after extra time.

    It is understood that Hatate feels he is ready for a move to Europe, and countryman Furuhashi’s success at Celtic so far this season has caught his eye.

    The first thing to note about Hatate, tactically, is that although he has played there in Japan it’s unlikely Celtic are looking at him with their defence in mind.

    Similar to Josip Juranovic’s ongoing deputising role there, Hatate is right-footed and left-back is not his natural position. Although he is not quite as one-footed as Juranovic, he too is not entirely comfortable in overlapping and crossing with his left foot.

    He has been played at left-back because his good technical ability, game intelligence and work rate mean he can perform capably there. It would be surprising if he is seen as a long-term left-back solution for Celtic, given his right-footedness and because it is simply not his best position.




    An educated guess would be that Hatate is instead being eyed as competition at No 8 — the role where he has played 52 per cent of his league minutes this season, as signposted by the above graphic with data from smarterscout.

    His positional versatility will be a welcome asset, but that advanced box-to-box attacking midfield role, adopted by Tom Rogic, David Turnbull and occasionally Callum McGregor this season, seems to be where Hatate excels most.

    As you can watch in the highlights compilation below, he thrives in the kind of spaces and situations Rogic and Turnbull find themselves in under Postecoglou.



    His attributes align squarely with what the 56-year-old Australian wants from a midfielder too.

    Statistical comparisons between leagues and teams are normally difficult by default, but especially so with Hatate playing so many different positions. Instead, smarterscout — a tool that uses advanced metrics to give players a rating from zero to 99 based on either how often they perform a specific action compared to others playing their position, or how effective they are at it — can perhaps give us a better indication of his abilities.




    First, his attacking qualities.

    Hatate is heavily involved in the final third, as suggested by his receptions in the opposition box (95 out of 99) and shot volume (89 out of 99) ratings. While his xG from shot creation (58/99) and xG from ball progression (37/99) appear relatively mediocre, it is worth bearing in mind these statistics are adjusted for Premier League standard, and so would be better relative to the Premiership.

    Essentially, both those metrics boil down to him being pretty good for his position in contributing to chance creation.

    Although his 12 goals in 75 senior appearances is naturally mitigated by his positional flexibility, fans should not be expecting him to score 10-plus goals a season if he joins Celtic. However, that is not to say he is poor in front of goal, and as a No 8, he is an occasional goal threat. For someone 5ft 7in tall, he is deceptively good in the air. He also strikes the ball very well.

    Take this lovely solo effort during a 5-1 win over Vegalta Sendai in March this year, early in the current Japanese season. He picks up a loose ball and plays it first time to team-mate Yu Kobayashi…




    who returns it. Hatate then advances towards the edge of the box. Two defenders rush to block him, so he shifts his body to the right and dribbles to open up a better angle to shoot, demonstrating his impressive close control and low centre of gravity.




    Having dragged the desperate defenders over to cover, he glances up and strikes the ball hard and accurately into the far corner of the net with his right foot.




    That close control and intelligent use of his body are two of Hatate’s best qualities, which is reflected in his high smarterscout rating for carry and dribble volume (78 out of 100).

    Orlowitz says that, in many ways, Hatate is a stereotypical Japanese midfielder: “He’s not a massive creator (as suggested by a total of 10 assists in his two-year senior career to date) and doesn’t score a lot of goals. But he is technically good and moves the ball well. I think his ability to get through defenders with his dribbling is good too.

    “He’s not insanely fast, but he’s pretty quick. He’s good at being on the ball, moving into space, withstanding pressure. He’s also good at attacking space and making pressure off the ball. Basically, he’s very good at moving the ball to where it needs to go, and works hard.”

    Hatate’s poor smarterscout ratings for ball retention (16/99) and progressive passing (14/99) also suggest he probably is not a midfielder who will look to control the tempo of games, or be regularly pinging crossfield balls or threading through-balls from the halfway line. Ostensibly, he probably cannot deputise for McGregor in the deep-lying playmaker role. He is an attack-minded midfielder who likes to roam further up the pitch, who constantly tries to make things happen with tight one-touch passing — and these actions do not always come off.

    Another key attribute is Hatate’s use of the ball in the attacking third. He has that blend of speed of thought and precision of execution that realistically only McGregor and Rogic have in their toolbox among current Celtic midfielders. This is reflected in Hahate’s good smarterscout rating for link-up play volume (81/99).

    In a 2-1 win over Shonan Bellmare in September, for example, he produces a lovely one-two with team-mate Marcinho. The Brazilian is sprinting down the left flank, chased by two defenders, and feeds a simple pass into Hatate’s feet before accelerating his run.



    Hatate delicately opens up his body and, with his first touch, sidefoots a perfectly weighted return for Marcinho to run onto, despite being closely guarded by four opposition players.




    His use of space and awareness of team-mates is also promising — two more elements to a successful Postecoglou team — as highlighted in a surprise 3-1 loss to Sagan Tosu last month.

    With the right-sided centre-back moving to support his right-back out wide, Hatate spots a gap to sprint into. A team-mate spots the run and chips a clever, if slightly overhit, pass into his path…
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2021
  20. craigtheceltic

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    Best diddy moment was when Hatate already thought he and Maeda were playing for Celtic and Hatate played a nice ball to him :56:

    But I’ve watched Maeda before and he’s prone to looking like a Sunday league player one minute then a superstar the next.
     
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