Celtic were dealt a blow at the start of the summer as they lost manager Ange Postecoglou shortly after the end of the 2022/24 treble-winning campaign.
Who were Postecoglou's most expensive Celtic signings?
The Australian head coach, who moved to Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, secured three domestic trophies last season and his excellent work in the transfer market played a big role in his success at Parkhead over his two years in the role.
Ange's most expensive signings
Fee paid
Jota
£13.8m
Cameron Carter-Vickers
£5.9m
Kyogo Furuhashi
£4.6m
Carl Starfelt
£4.2m
Alexandro Bernabei
£3.7m
Fees via Transfermarkt.
He was able to snap up a number of talented gems throughout his spell with the Scottish giants and Celtic may continue to benefit from his work over the years to come.
Postecoglou unearthed gold with several signings and one player who is still at Paradise and has the potential to improve further is central midfielder Reo Hatate.
The now-Spurs chief snapped the Japan international up in January of 2022, which was halfway through his first season in charge of the club, and it has turned out to be an outstanding piece of business.
How much was Hatate worth at Kawasaki Frontale?
At the time of his move to Celtic at the start of last year, Transfermarkt placed his market value at €800k (£686k) after his two years of senior football with Kawasaki Frontale in his home country.
The young dynamo first established himself as a first-team regular with his former club throughout the 2020 J1 League campaign and immediately showcased his attacking quality from a midfield position.
Hatate racked up five goals and five assists across 31 top-flight matches in 2020 and also caught the eye with one goal and two assists in five J League Cup games.
He averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.94 in those league outings and provided an excellent creative threat in possession with seven 'big chances' created for his teammates.
The Japanese maestro followed that up with an average Sofascore rating of 7.16 across 30 J1 League starts throughout the 2021 season, which shows that the average level of his performances improved as he gained more senior experience.
Hatate contributed with five goals and two assists from the middle of the park and displayed his defensive ability with 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game to go along with a 53% duel success rate, as per Sofascore.
In total, the 5 foot 8 whiz produced 12 goals and ten assists in 77 appearances for Kawasaki in all competitions over the course of his two years of first-team football there.
His impressive form for his former club in the J1 League was enough to convince Postecoglou to swoop for him in January 2022 as part of a move alongside Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi, and the Hoops boss claimed that they would "excite" supporters with their play.
How many goals has Hatate scored for Celtic?
The 25-year-old sensation has found the back of the net 13 times in 68 matches so far in his Celtic career since making the move from Kawasaki last year.
Hatate hit the ground running at Parkhead and produced consistently promising performances as he averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.02 in 17 appearances during the second half of the 2021/22 campaign to help the Hoops secure the Scottish Premiership title.
He contributed with four goals and two assists from a central midfield position and did not miss a single 'big chance', which shows that the talented gem made the most of his opportunities in front of goal.
Despite joining in January, the Japan international only finished two goals behind David Turnbull – who was the club's top-scoring central midfielder in the Premiership with six strikes.
Hatate followed that up with an outstanding 2022/23 campaign in his first full year with the Bhoys. He averaged an excellent Sofascore rating of 7.23 across 32 league outings, which was the third-highest score within the squad – only behind Matt O'Riley and Jota – and showed that he was one of Postecoglou's top performers.
The technical ace caught the eye with six goals and eight assists in total, whilst he also created ten 'big chances' and made 1.3 key passes per game for his teammates, as per Sofascore.
No other Celtic midfielder found the back of the net more than four times and this suggests that the former Kawasaki star was the club's biggest goal threat from that area of the park.
How much is Hatate worth now?
At the time of writing (15/09/2023), Hatate is valued at €11m (£9.4m) by Transfermarkt after 18 months of excellent displays in the middle of the park for the Scottish giants.
This means that the Japanese magician's market value has soared by a staggering 1,275% from the initial £800k it was at when Celtic swooped to secure his services at the start of last year.
His exceptional performances as an attacking threat from midfield for the Bhoys have resulted in his valuation rocketing up considerably, whilst they have also attracted interest from Premier League clubs – including Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this year.
Hatate, who was once described as a "beast" by journalist Sacha Pisani, has scored 13 goals and provided 14 assists in 68 appearances for the club to date and still has plenty of time to add to his tally as his contract does not expire until the summer of 2026.
His market value could continue to soar if he is able to develop further and improve the standard of his performances in midfield over the course of the 2023/24 campaign and beyond, which could also lead to a significant payday for Celtic if it results in a Premier League team, for example, swoops in to secure his services for a big-money fee.
However, there is no doubt that, whatever happens from this point, Postecoglou unearthed gold in his move to sign Hatate from Kawasaki last year.
The Australian boss was able to identify a promising young talent and helped him to thrive in Scotland by providing him with the perfect platform to showcase his skills, which has led to his soaring market value over the last 18 months.