Reo Hatate exit inevitable as Martin O’Neill continues same stance with Celtic star

Reo Hatate has been regularly linked with a Celtic exit this summer, but this now looks certain to happen.

The 28-year-old midfielder has been a core part of the first team since 2022 and was one of the club’s best performers last season.

Yet, for most of this campaign, he has been dreadful, which has helped contributed to Celtic’s slump in form and potential trophyless season.

As a result, O’Neill dropped the Japan international, with the addition of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain further reducing his game time.

Now, with the summer transfer window just around the corner, Hatate will surely leave Celtic.

Reo Hatate continues to get little action for Celtic

Since the return of Arne Engels from the sidelines, Hatate has barely seen the pitch.

In fact, his last appearance came in early April, when he came off the bench in the 2-1 victory over St Mirren.

Since then, he has remained an unused substitute, with O’Neil once again refusing to bring him off the bench in the 2-1 win against Hibernian.

With his last start coming all the way back in March, it looks inevitable that he will depart in the summer.

This is only reinforced by the fact that Celtic have been linked with a wealth of midfielders ahead of the transfer window, which could then allow Hatate to depart.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if the incoming manager in the summer will block a potential exit, with it still being unconfirmed who will take over from O’Neill at the end of the season.

Which midfielders are Celtic linked to?

Football Insider has exclusively revealed that Celtic are eyeing Alfie Devine this summer.

The Tottenham Hotspur star spent the 2025-26 campaign on loan to Preston North End, where he impressed.

O’Neill went to watch the midfielder play last month in Preston’s fixture against Queens Park Rangers, with the clash ending 1-1.

While the manager is expected to leave the club at the end of the season, he is still helping the Hoops with their transfer plans.

However, it remains to be seen if Celtic will be able to bring Devine into the club this summer or if Tottenham will look to send him elsewhere.

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