Burnley have snapped up Celtic’s Reo Hatate on transfer deadline day for a reported £7.5 million plus £2.5 million in add ons. The Japan international has signed a three-year deal at Turf Moor, ending a four-and-a-half-year spell in Glasgow that delivered nine major honours, including five league titles and 33 goals in 191 appearances.
Hatate’s exit had been on the cards for weeks after he had submitted a transfer request last season and knocked back approaches from Austria, Greece and the US before settling on England. With the English window shutting at 11pm on 1 September, Burnley moved late last night to sign the 28 year old.
It’s the end of an era at Celtic, as the last of Ange Postecoglou’s trio of Japanese imports departs the club following Daizen Maeda’s transfer to Ipswich Town earlier this summer, and Kyogo Furuhashi’s departure in January 2025.
Hatate swiftly became a fan favourite following his signing from Kawasaki Frontale in January 2022, making an immediate impact with a man-of-the-match performance on his debut against Hibernian, before scoring two goals and an assist in the Glasgow derby against Rangers just weeks later. He became regular in Celtic’s starting eleven, helping the club win the league in every campaign he played, including two Scottish Cups and two League Cups, and earning SPFL Team of the Year honours twice.
He had lost his place in the second half of last season under Martin O’Neill and this season had only featured in Celtic’s Champions League play-off defeat to LASK Linz, underlining his reduced role before the move.
Speaking after his move to Turf Moor, Hatate said: “This is a great move for me. It’s my first time playing in England and it’s a fantastic club to be joining. I’m hoping to bring my experience and knowledge to the dressing room and help the team on the pitch as much as possible to achieve our aim.”
Earlier in the day, Celtic had signed Parma’s Oliver Sorensen on loan with an option to buy, and that had followed the signing of Mika Baur last month from SC Paderborn 07.