Reo Hatate reports bad news for Celtic

Reo Hatate has experienced a dramatic change in fortunes in the space of just a few days, going from celebrating success at the top of the Scottish Premiership with Celtic to finding himself at the bottom of the English Championship with Burnley.

The Japanese midfielder completed his move away from Celtic on transfer deadline day, bringing an end to a four-and-a-half-year spell in Glasgow. Hatate joined Burnley in a deal that initially brought Celtic a reported £6.5million, with a further £2.5million potentially available through additional clauses.

However, those extra payments could prove difficult for Celtic to collect unless Burnley can dramatically improve their current situation and secure an immediate return to the Premier League.

CELEBRATIONS BEFORE THE COLLAPSE…Reo Hatate and his new Burnley team-mates show their delight at going ahead against Bristol City.

Hatate made his first appearance for Burnley at the weekend when he was introduced into the starting XI for their Championship meeting with Bristol City at Turf Moor. Unfortunately for the midfielder, his debut ended in disappointment as Burnley surrendered a lead and eventually suffered a 2-1 defeat.

The result leaves Burnley still searching for their first league victory of the campaign. After five matches, the Lancashire club have collected only two points, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the Championship table.

That early struggle is not only a concern for Burnley but also represents potentially bad news for Celtic, who have a financial interest in seeing their former player’s new club perform well.

The Scottish champions negotiated a relatively modest initial transfer fee for the 28-year-old, but the structure of the agreement means that much of the additional £2.5million is believed to be dependent on Burnley achieving promotion back to the Premier League.

With the season still in its early stages, there is certainly no reason for Celtic or Burnley to begin panicking. Five games represent only a small portion of a long Championship campaign. Nevertheless, Burnley’s poor opening has placed additional pressure on manager Nicky Hayen, who has acknowledged that his side currently find themselves in an extremely challenging position.

Hatate arrived at Burnley after an impressive spell with Celtic during which he became an important figure for the club and established himself as a favourite among supporters.

During his time in Glasgow, the midfielder collected nine trophies, including five consecutive Scottish Premiership titles. His departure therefore brought an end to a highly successful period in green and white.

Despite having only just arrived at Burnley, Hatate was immediately thrown into action against Bristol City. He played for 63 minutes before being replaced, but he managed to make an impact during his time on the pitch.

HAPPIER DAYS…Reo Hatate holds aloft the 2024 Scottish Cup.

The Japan international played a key role in Burnley taking the lead shortly after the hour mark. Hatate supplied the assist for Aaron Ramsey, another player with previous Glasgow derby experience, who produced a powerful finish to put the home side in front.

At that stage, it appeared as though Hatate’s first match could end with a positive result and provide Burnley with a much-needed first victory.

Instead, the afternoon ended in familiar frustration for the struggling club.

Burnley were unable to protect their advantage as Bristol City found a way back into the contest. Rob Dickie scored the equaliser before Yu Hirakawa struck during stoppage time to complete a dramatic turnaround.

The late defeat prompted an angry reaction from the home supporters, who once again directed their frustration towards American owner Alan Pace.

For Hatate, it was an unfortunate introduction to life at his new club. Having left Celtic only days earlier after enjoying regular success at the top end of Scottish football, he suddenly found himself part of a Burnley team struggling to get off the bottom of the English second tier.

The midfielder will not have to wait long for an opportunity to help change the situation. He is expected to feature again when Burnley travel to face Wrexham tomorrow night.

That match gives Hatate and his new teammates another chance to finally record their first victory of the campaign and begin moving away from the relegation places.

Hayen is under considerable pressure following Burnley’s disappointing opening, although the Belgian insists he remains confident that the situation can be corrected.

Speaking about the reaction of the supporters, Hayen admitted that he could understand their frustration and disappointment. He accepted that the current situation was difficult but maintained that the squad needed to remain united and continue working.

“I completely understand the fans, they’re frustrated and disappointed. Of course, it’s not nice to experience this, but I understand and I can accept it,” Hayen said.

He insisted that Burnley’s only option was to continue fighting and demonstrate greater resilience as they attempt to turn their season around.

The manager also admitted that the start had been far from what he had anticipated and said it was particularly frustrating because he had not been able to deliver the results the supporters expected.

“I didn’t expect this start and for me it’s frustrating because I can’t give the fans what they deserve,” he explained.

Despite the mounting pressure, Hayen made it clear that he had no intention of walking away.

“But I’m not giving up,” he added.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the Burnley boss attempted to reassure supporters by pointing towards his previous experience of overcoming difficult periods in his managerial career.

Hayen claimed that he had previously dealt with circumstances that were even more challenging and had managed to find a way out of those situations.

“I have been in even more difficult situations and I turned it around,” he said.

The Belgian believes unity will be crucial if Burnley are to recover their season. He remains convinced that the team can improve significantly once the squad reaches full fitness.

“I am 100 per cent sure when everyone sticks together that we can do it also,” Hayen stated.

However, he acknowledged that Burnley must find a way to collect results before they reach that point. The international break is viewed as an important target, with Hayen expecting his squad to be much closer to full fitness by then.

“It takes until the international break when everyone will be 100 per cent ready in fitness and then we will be a really strong team,” he said.

The immediate concern, though, is getting through the matches before that point.

“But you have to survive until then and at the moment we’re in a really difficult situation,” Hayen admitted.

For Celtic, Burnley’s struggles are being watched from a distance for a very different reason.

The Scottish champions will be hoping their former midfielder can help inspire a revival at Turf Moor. While Hatate’s individual performances could quickly become a positive story, Celtic’s financial department will be particularly interested in Burnley’s position in the Championship.

A successful season culminating in promotion would potentially unlock a significant portion of the additional money included in Hatate’s transfer agreement.

Therefore, although Celtic have already received the initial £6.5million fee, they will be hoping Burnley can quickly reverse their fortunes, climb the Championship standings and challenge for an immediate return to the Premier League.

For now, however, Burnley remain at the foot of the table, and Hatate has entered a very different chapter of his career.