Postecoglou struck gold in landing "absolute bargain", he could make Celtic a fortune - opinion

Reo Hatate’s value has tripled since the central midfielder’s £1.4m move to Celtic in the January transfer window.

That’s according to a claim made by former Premier League centre-forward Gabby Agbonlahor, who stated his belief in a recent interview with Football Insider that, despite having only played six games in his Celtic career, the 24-year-old’s value has increased three-fold since his arrival at Parkhead – meaning the Japan international is now worth around £4.2m.

Speaking about Celtic’s signing of Hatate, Agbonlahor said: “I’ll say this, what I’ve got to praise Celtic for is their recruitment. Celtic and Rangers don’t have a lot of money. Celtic have gone out and got four Japanese players and two of them, so far, look like absolute bargains.

“I’m sure they’ll be going back to Japan to look for more because they look like really talented players. For Hatate to perform like that in his first Old Firm game in such a tense atmosphere was outstanding. They were so cheap. Given his performances, Hatate has probably tripled in value already. It’s good business from Celtic.”

While Celtic fans may not appreciate Agbonlahor’s suggestion that the Hoops do not have a lot of money, the former Aston Villa striker is probably not too far off in his claim that Hatate’s market valuation will have increased dramatically following his sensational start to life in Scotland.

Indeed, over his six Premiership appearances for the Bhoys, the £1.08m-rated midfielder has already scored three goals, registered two assists and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.8 shots and making 1.2 key passes per game.

The 24-year-old has also impressed in metrics more typical of his central midfield position,