'They will...' - BBC man says Celtic could face summer battle to keep 'stunning' Ange signing

New Celtic signing Reo Hatate will already have caught the eye of clubs in England, Noel Whelan has claimed. 

The Japan international has barely been at Celtic a month, with his signing confirmed on 31 December as part of a J1 League triple swoop by Ange Postecoglou. The Hoops paid £1.4m to sign the midfielder, who penned a four-and-a-half year contract at Parkhead.

He produced a sensational performance against title rivals Rangers last week, scoring twice and providing an assist, and he continued that strong form against Motherwell on Sunday by providing the assist for Liel Abada’s opener in the 4-0 victory at Fir Park.

Sports journalist Josh Bunting has already seen enough to label him a ‘stunning addition‘ by the Hoops.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan suggested that clubs who come up from the English second tier may look to pursue Hatate in the summer based on his recent form.

When asked if English clubs ‘would be interested’ in the 24-year-old, the BBC radio pundit replied: “They will be. It might not be the top four in the Premier League but it might be people who get promoted from the Championship to the Premier League.”

If he continues to shine, Hatate is bound to win some admirers outside Scotland, and he’s not the only one.

Kyogo Furuhashi, another signing from Japan in recent months, could conceivably end up in the Premier League in the not-too-distant future. According to a report from Calciomercato in September, Southampton are interested in the 13-goal forward.

This attests to the strength of Celtic’s recruitment, and while they would naturally want to be in a position to keep their best players, they may at least make a handsome profit on the likes of Hatate and Furuhashi (£4.86m) eventually if either