Reo Hatate has ended his four-and-a-half-year Celtic career, joining Burnley for an undisclosed fee on deadline day and taking his considerable experience into English football for the first time.
Burnley have confirmed the signing of Reo Hatate from Celtic, with the 28-year-old Japan international agreeing a three-year contract at Turf Moor, according to BBC Sport. It’s a straightforward permanent move for a fee neither club has disclosed, and it takes Hatate to the Championship and his first taste of the English game.
Four and a half years is a decent stretch of anyone’s career, and Hatate leaves Celtic Park having made 191 appearances and scored 33 goals along the way. He won five league titles – the Premiership in every single season he played for us – plus two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups, a haul that speaks for itself. This season, though, his involvement had shrunk to substitute cameos in both legs of Celtic’s Champions League play-off ties with LASK Linz, and the background to his reduced role had been building for a while before this deal was struck.
Where This Leaves the Midfield
Hatate now joins Nicky Hayen’s Burnley squad, adding to the manager’s midfield options as the Clarets shape their group for the season ahead. His arrival follows Burnley’s other deadline-day business, with Brighton defender Igor Julio and Leeds United forward Largie Ramazani also brought in – a busy final few hours of the window at Turf Moor.
For Celtic, it’s another departure to file alongside the club’s broader midfield reshuffling this window, and one worth weighing against the wider picture of exits and recruitment across the summer. Hatate was a regular from the moment he arrived – man of the match on his debut against Hibernian back in January 2022, then two goals and an assist in an Old Firm derby a fortnight later. That’s the kind of impact that earns a place in supporters’ affections quickly, and it’s why this one stings a little more than most.
Hatate’s Own Words
Speaking after the move was completed, 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.”
Five titles in five seasons is a remarkable return for any player who’s come through Celtic Park, and Hatate leaves with that record intact. He goes to Burnley with 11 caps for Japan and a reputation built on genuine quality – Mon The Hoops, and good luck to him in England.
