Celtic central midfielder Reo Hatate has had a hot and cold 2025/26 campaign at Parkhead so far, illustrated by the fact that he has started two and been benched for two of the last four Scottish Premiership games.
The Japan international scored 11 goals in 47 matches in all competitions last season, per Sofascore, but has only managed three goals in 25 outings this term.
His lack of goal contributions in the final third have highlighted the weaknesses in his game. Per Sofascore, the midfielder has lost 53% of his duels in the Premiership, making just 1.1 tackles and interceptions per game, which shows that he is not offering enough to the team at either end of the pitch.
Celtic join race to sign new central midfielder
The reigning Premiership champions are now reportedly looking at potentially adding a new player to their squad who could take Hatate’s place in the side.
According to Bold, Celtic are one of the teams in the race to sign Hacken central midfielder Silas Andersen before the end of the January transfer window.
The report claims that the Hoops are ‘lurking in the wings’ as potential suitors for the Denmark U21 international, as they look to add more quality to Martin O’Neill’s squad before the end of the month.
It adds that Rangers have already enquired about a deal for the 21-year-old talent and are in talks with Hacken to sign the midfield star, which means that they are currently leading the race for his signature.
However, Celtic are interested and waiting in the background, as one of a number of clubs keen on the ‘sought-after’ star, but it remains to be seen whether or not they will swoop in to seriously challenge their Glasgow rivals.
Previous reports have suggested he may well cost £7m so it won’t be a cheap deal.
Why Celtic must make an offer for Andersen
The Hoops must make an offer to Hacken to compete with Rangers for Andersen’s signature because the 21-year-old star could arrive at Parkhead as a big upgrade on Hatate in the middle of the park.
As aforementioned, the Japanese midfielder’s regression offensively has caused his struggles defensively to come to the fore, which has seen him lose his place as a nailed-on starter in midfield.
Andersen’s performances for Hacken in the Allsvenskan in the 2025 campaign suggest that he could come in and offer more to the team than Hatate, because of the impressive physicality that he can bring to the side.
The Danish talent, who was described as “relentless” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, made the third-most tackles (84) and the fifth-most interceptions (43) in the Allsvenskan last year, per Sofascore, which illustrates just how effective he is defensively.
He is an incredibly combative midfielder, as evidenced by the 192 duels he won in the league season (FotMob). It is the out-of-possession work that Hatate has struggled with in the Scottish Premiership this term, hence why Andersen could come in as a significant upgrade on him in midfield.
|
2025 Allsvenskan |
Andersen |
Rank vs CMs |
|---|---|---|
|
Goals |
2 |
Top 19% |
|
xA |
2.22 |
Top 1% |
|
Chances created |
26 |
Top 1% |
|
Successful dribbles |
25 |
Top 1% |
|
Tackles |
84 |
Top 1% |
|
Duels won |
192 |
Top 1% |
|
Interceptions |
43 |
Top 1% |
As you can see in the table above, Andersen ranked incredibly highly among his positional peers in the division in a host of metrics on and off the ball, which shows that he is not a one-trick pony.
The Danish star can influence matches at both ends of the pitch, by winning tackles and duels at one end and scoring and creating goals at the other, which has not been the case for Hatate in the 2025/25 campaign so far.
Whilst the Japan international has won 46% of his duels and won 2.4 per game in the Premiership this season, per Sofascore, Andersen won 59% of his duels and won 7.4 per game in the Allsvenskan in 2025, illustrating the gulf in physicality and defensive quality between the two players.
Hatate has also delivered one goal and two assists in 17 league matches this season, per Sofascore, and the Hacken ace produced two goals and two assists in 26 games last year, which suggests that there is not a huge difference between their offensive play.
Celtic actively in talks to sign another forward alongside Ta Bi
Martin O’Neill is set to be backed in January.
Therefore, Andersen could be a significant upgrade on Hatate in midfield for Celtic because he has similar offensive attributes, whilst having the potential to offer far more to the team as a physical and defensive presence in the middle of the park.
