Celtic duo told 'be careful what you wish for' as Champions League winner fires ominous transfer warning
Both players have been strongly linked with a Parkhead exit this summer with interest from across Europe
In-demand Celtic duo Nicolas Kuhn and Reo Hatate has been warned to tread carefully when considering big-money moves away from Parkhead this summer because the grass isn’t always greener.
German winger Kuhn has been heavily linked with a £15 million switch to Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig, while Serie A newcomers Como have also expressed an interest in the 25-year-old. As of yet, no talks have reached an advanced stage.
Meanwhile, Japanese midfielder Hatate also has admirers Italy after previously confessing his ambition to play in one of Europe’s top-five leagues. Udinese are reportedly weighing up a transfer bid.
Hoops legend and former skipper Paul Lambert, however, has questioned whether either player is ready to earn a blockbuster move just yet, despite the pair remaining hot property.
Speaking to the Daily Record as he discussed Kuhn’s future, the Champions League winner said: “As a Celtic player, you have to be consistent. You need to hit eight out of 10s every week, more of less. And when you don’t do it, you’ll hear it from the supporters.
“He brilliant in the first half of the season, but the season doesn’t last half a year. It’s a full year, so you’ve got to perform consistently. You can’t turn around and say, ‘I’m only going to play half a year’. If that were the case, then everybody would still be playing.
“Nobody can dispute that he was really good in the first half of the season - but do it for the full year.”
Kuhn looked unstoppable at times last season,making a huge impact in the Champions League league phase. He bagged 21 goals and 15 assists in all competitions, but his form dipped after Christmas.
With a host of potential suitors now circling, Lambert admitted: “There’s no doubting his ability but he has only done it for 18 months. There’s more in him. Does he have a point to prove? Yeah, he and Hatate are the same. They won’t find a higher demand than Celtic to try and get results - that’s for sure.”
Hatate, who will enter his fifth season at Parkhead, has never hidden his desire to test himself at the highest level. However, the utility man - currently recovering from a knee injury - continues to split opinion among the club’s fanbase due to a lack of consistency in his performances.
And Lambert believes he has fallen short of his earlier standards, commenting: “I don’t know about him, I’m not sure he’s hitting the heights of what he should be hitting. Everyone can say they want to play in a top-five league, but you’ve got to keep proving it.
“I think he’s tailed off a bit with consistency in playing for a club like Celtic. I think he needs to get that back into his game. He’s a decent enough player - but nobody’s bigger than the club, that’s always the case. The club will always go on.
“If Brendan thinks it’s the right decision to move him on or keep him, Brendan will know because he’s a top manager. My concern for him is that he has to get back to the form that he showed when he first came in.”
Lambert reckons both Kuhn and Hatate would be taking a major gamble by quitting Celtic now as he pointed to Kyogo Furuhashi’s recent struggles in France as a cautionary tale. He has backed Brendan Rodgers to make the right judgement call regarding both players futures.
He continued: “Celtic are in the driving seat. As a club they are really stable. They are really focused to win and do well in Europe again. They’re still under contract for a while yet, so Celtic hold the ace cards and can demand as much or as little as they want.
“Celtic have given them a platform to go and perform, so the club’s been great with them. They have to repay the club as they have done for a certain period of time - but you’ve got to give more than just that.
“If Kuhn goes to Leipzig... yes, he knows the native language, bu he might got Leipzig and not get a game, just like Kyogo in France. So I think you’ve got to be careful what you wish for. I really do.
“These two lads are playing regularly at Celtic. They are playing Champions League football where the eyes of the world are on you - and if you perform there, then you make a bigger mark than anything. So I think you’ve got to be careful what you wish for at times.”