Latest news with #ReoHatate
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Kyogo future tackled head on as Celtic await 'likely' Balikwisha exit and Hatate price tag 'named'
The Scottish champions are facing a busy summer as they prepare to defend their Premiership crown Stade Rennes' chairman Arnaud Pouille insists there is "no opposition" to Kyogo Furuhashi being included in the squad for next season. The comments come amid reports that the former Celtic star will be left out of Habib Beye's 25-man unit that he takes into pre-season. The frontman made his £10million move to Ligue 1 in January when boss Jorge Sampoali was at the helm - with sporting director Frederic Massara negotiating the deal. But since the departure of both allies for the Japan international, the 30-year-old struggled to even make the matchday squad in the final weeks of the season - and has yet to find the net for his new club. Amid reports that Premier League side Bournemouth are considering a bid for the misfit, Pouille told Ouest-France that there was no issues over the striker's long-term future. He said: 'Kyogo was an element on which Frederic and Jorge agreed, we discussed him with Habib around January 27 or 28, if I remember correctly, and there was no opposition from Habib to integrate him into the squad. 'Afterwards, there was a system of competition. In one of his first matches, he got injured and then his place was taken by the emergence of Kader Meite, which remains good news for Stade Rennes.' Elsewhere, reports in Belgium suggest that Royal Antwerp expect winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha to leave this summer. Celtic have long been admirers of a £6million-rated wide man who has earned rave reviews - after chipping in with two goals and four assists in the final five games of the campaign. Voetbal Primeur state a departure is now "likely" with Antwerp looking to bring in €30million (£25million) to provide "economic breathing space' for the club. In terms of outgoings, Celtic hero Peter Grant reckons the club would accept a price of £10million for Reo Hatate this summer. The 27-year-old has been a key figure in the Celtic engine room with Udinese among the club said to be showing an interest - with Brazil icon Zico pitching his former side to the Hoops' star. Grant told the Go Radio Football Show: 'If Celtic get £10 million for Reo Hatate, then they would sell him. "I don't mean that disrespectfully, because they will look at it and think, 27-28 years of age. They will think, 'okay, that's good money at that age'. That's just not Celtic. I think that's good value, in the respect of that. I think Brendan is very much aware of that. 'They know the areas they want. 100 per cent, they know exactly what they want, at this moment in time. Even before the (Scottish) cup final.' Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Why faltering 2025 gives Celtic pause for thought
Celtic's season was very impressive. A league title effectively won before the Bells; a League Cup; a highly creditable draw at Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockout stages; and a Scottish Cup offered that before a ball was kicked, most supporters would have happily signed up.A cracking campaign, yes, but Celtic's 2025 has been far from that. Standards dropped considerably. Seven defeats in five months, albeit two of those were to Aston Villa and (twice), Hibernian and St Johnstone all got the better of Brendan Rodgers in the Premiership while Aberdeen ruined the Parkhead side started the season like a train but went off the rails towards the end. Cause for concern? No. More like pause for the absence of the injured Reo Hatate and Jota, Celtic looked short of energy and creativity in the cup final. As they had done at a rather flat trophy day the week before when St Mirren felt unlucky to leave with just a fielded the same side at Hampden, much to this correspondent's surprise. With Jota unlikely to feature much - if at all - this year, can Celtic afford to entertain any summer offers for Hatate given the season-ending lack of flair?More will be expected next term of Arne Engels and Paulo Bernardo. I suspect a creative midfielder is high among Rodgers' priorities when the transfer window Jota's medium-term absence, another winger will almost certainly have to be acquired. Nicolas Kuhn's sensational early-season form tailed off dramatically. Could Celtic be tempted to cash in on him if a decent offer arrives this summer?The return of Kieran Tierney will bolster Celtic's options in both defence and attack, given his fancy for surging runs down the flank and good deliveries. The team's tally of 112 Premiership goals en route to the title would suggest they are pretty well off up front. Kyogo Furuhashi wasn't replaced in January, however, and there were several late-season chances passed up by the otherwise excellent Daizen Maeda.A fast, agile, natural finisher may be underlined in red ink on the manager's summer shopping will a reliable, quick centre-half with good distribution. Liam Scales has done well enough but Rodgers dropped him in favour of Auston Trusty before bringing the Irish international back when the American's form dipped.I wonder how much of the estimated £26m the club spent on Trusty, Engels and Adam Idah would be recouped if they were put up for sale now?Celtic spent big last summer and the manager will be hoping they go large again. And quickly. The club no longer have an automatic place at European football's top table, instead having to come through a Celtic really afford to wait and see if they strike it rich again before committing to a big spend? Speculating to accumulate is surely the safer option, even for a board that prefers prudence.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Bernardo craves starting spot at Hampden
Paulo Bernardo hopes he has done enough to earn a starting place in the Scottish Cup final on Saturday as the Celtic midfielder eyes the first treble of his 23-year-old Portuguese hasn't been a first pick since making his loan move from Benfica permanent last summer, but has started the past two games following the injury to Reo Hatate that rules the Japan midfielder out of the Hampden been in the XI for the League Cup win over Rangers in December, Bernardo wants another major role against who came off the bench to provide the assist for Aadam Idah's Scottish Cup final winner last season, said: "It's a cup final, I started the League Cup a few months back, it's important for me to play these games but whoever the coach picks will do the best for the team."I'm doing my best to get the opportunity, whoever he picks is the right choice. We just need to work if we come on from the start or from the bench and we do our best."It would be my first treble, I've never experienced that. It will be amazing and I want to achieve that. I'm still young and I will do my best to achieve that here at this big club, I'm very happy."Celtic always want to win every title, we are always here to win every game and with that we can win titles."Sometimes it won't happen but you always want these things to happen and you visualise them."I'm really glad that I came here to Celtic because I can win the things that I dreamt of before."
The National
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
Celtic star Daizen Maeda's Japan omission explained by boss
Japan were the first team to clinch their qualification for the Finals next year in USA, Canada and Mexico and they still have two more dead rubber games to come in their group, away to Australia and at home to Indonesia. But Maeda - and injured Celtic teammate Reo Hatate - won't have to make the exhausting trip halfway around the world after Moriyasu opted to leave out some of his most established stars to look at other domestic-based players instead. He explained: "Some of the regular players who are always in the squads have been left out for these games. Read more: Aberdeen vs Celtic: TV channel, live stream & kick-off time for Scottish Cup final Celtic centre-back duo left out of USA national team training camp by Pochettino "Considering that some of the main players had played a lot of games before and suffered frequent injuries throughout the season, we decided not to call them up this time. "The guys who have played a lot of football deserve a rest." Maeda is set to play his 56th game of the season for club and country today when he starts in the Scottish Cup Final against Aberdeen. He's scored 34 goals.
The Herald Scotland
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Celtic star Daizen Maeda's Japan omission explained by boss
But Maeda - and injured Celtic teammate Reo Hatate - won't have to make the exhausting trip halfway around the world after Moriyasu opted to leave out some of his most established stars to look at other domestic-based players instead. He explained: "Some of the regular players who are always in the squads have been left out for these games. Read more: Aberdeen vs Celtic: TV channel, live stream & kick-off time for Scottish Cup final Celtic centre-back duo left out of USA national team training camp by Pochettino "Considering that some of the main players had played a lot of games before and suffered frequent injuries throughout the season, we decided not to call them up this time. "The guys who have played a lot of football deserve a rest." Maeda is set to play his 56th game of the season for club and country today when he starts in the Scottish Cup Final against Aberdeen. He's scored 34 goals.
