Rodgers could replace Hatate with Celtic swoop for "ridiculous" £5m star

Celtic were officially crowned as champions of the Scottish Premiership for the fourth time in as many seasons when they beat Dundee United 5-0 away from home last month.

Braces from Adam Idah and Nicolas Kuhn, after an own goal from Ryan Strain, secured the win and the title for the Hoops on the day, which made the rest of their league games relatively stress-free.

There was some negative news that came from that result, though, as Jota hobbled off with a knee injury just before half time, and it has since been confirmed that he will be out for between six and nine months.

This means that the Portuguese winger will not be available for selection when the Hoops take to Hampden Park to face Aberdeen in the SFA Cup final next weekend, and he is set to miss the start of next season on top of that.

Jota, however, is not the only Celtic star who will not be available for Brendan Rodgers to call upon at the national stadium, as the manager has confirmed that Reo Hatate is set to miss the match through injury.

Why losing Reo Hatate is a big blow

The Northern Irish head coach recently revealed that the Japan international suffered a knee injury in the 5-1 win away at Aberdeen, after being on the wrong end of a “needless” challenge.

Rodgers confirmed that the 27-year-old star should be fit for pre-season, if all goes well, but he will not be in the squad that travels to Hampden Park to take on the Dons, which is a blow for the Hoops.

Losing Hatate to injury is a big blow because he has starred for Celtic in the middle of the park throughout the campaign, as a player who can make an impact at the top end of the pitch, and played a pivotal role in the club’s SFA Cup semi-final win over St. Johnstone.

As you can see in the highlights above, the Japanese midfield star created three of the five goals, assisting Callum McGregor, Daizen Maeda, and Adam Idah, to help his side progress through to the final of the competition, a game he will now miss.

Hatate has also caught the eye with his impressive performances in the Premiership for the Scottish giants, as he has displayed his ability to score goals and create high-quality chances at an exceptional rate.

As you can see in the table above, the Celtic star has delivered 24 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in 37 appearances in the division, which further illustrates why losing him to injury is such a big blow for Rodgers.

The Scottish Sun recently reported that Serie A side Udinese are eyeing up a big-money swoop for the Japan international in the upcoming summer transfer window, which shows that teams are paying attention to his performances for the Hoops.

Celtic may, therefore, have a decision to make over his future if Udinese, or any other team, come in with a firm offer for his services ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

With this in mind, Rodgers could source a brilliant replacement for Hatate by pushing the club to secure a deal for Motherwell central midfielder Lennon Miller, who is a reported transfer target for the Hoops ahead of the summer window.

Why Celtic should sign Lennon Miller

Celtic should sign the Scotland U21 international, who is reported to be valued at £5m, because he is an incredibly young talent who has both the potential to be a long-term signing as well as the quality to make an immediate impact at Parkhead.

Miller, who does not turn 19 until August, has already racked up 60 appearances in the Premiership for Motherwell, which suggests that he could hit the ground running at Parkhead because he already knows the country and the league.

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The 18-year-old, who has been praised as “ridiculous” by pundit James McFadden, has the age and quality to be a starring player in midfield for many, many, years to come as a possible replacement for Hatate, who turns 28 this year.

Miller’s performances in the Premiership suggest that he could be a brilliant replacement for the Japanese star next season, as he was awarded the PFA Young Player of the Year award in the Scottish top-flight, which speaks to how highly his peers rate him.

The Scottish whiz is not as much of a goalscoring threat as Hatate, as he only scored two goals in the Premiership, but the creative and defensive aspects of his game suggest that he could be a fantastic signing for Rodgers and Celtic this summer.

As you can see in the table above, Miller, despite playing for Motherwell, delivered a similar number of ‘big chances’ created and key passes per game, whilst creating six more goals for his teammates.

The Scotland youth international has also proven himself to be an active and effective defender in the middle of the park, making 9.5 tackles, interceptions, and recoveries per match alongside a 52% duel success rate.

Whereas Hatate has only made 4.3 per game and lost 56% of his duels, which suggests that Miller could be an upgrade on him from an out-of-possession perspective, and that could make him particularly valuable on the European stage in the Champions League when Celtic face tougher challenges.

Therefore, the Motherwell star could be a brilliant signing to replace Hatate, whether that is as a direct replacement or just as a depth option to come in when the midfielder is injured, because of the creative and defensive qualities he can bring to the party at Premiership level.

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