Josip Juranovic leads gushing Celtic transfer messages to star after Hoops agree deadline day deal
Fan favourite has bid an emotional farewell following deadline departure
Former Celtic defender Josip Juranovic was one of several Hoops representatives to wish midfielder Reo Hatate all the best, as he waved goodbye to the club via an emotional social media post.
After being the subject of transfer speculation throughout the summer window, it took until the English deadline day for EFL Championship side Burnley to snap up the Japanese fan favourite on a three-year deal. While it’s been known for some time that Hatate’s future at Parkhead was over, judging by the reaction to his departure, the news has still hit some members of the Celtic family hard.
Hatate was signed by former boss Ange Postecoglou from J League side Kawasaki Frontale in 2021. Two months later, a brace against Rangers in a 3-0 instantly made him a popular figure amongst the Parkhead Faithful. He scored 33 goals in 191 appearances for the club, winning five Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and two League Cups.
Hatate waves emotional Celtic goodbye
His farewell on Instagram partially read: “Dear Celtic Family. First of all, thank you so much for four and a half years. Moving to Celtic was one of the biggest and most exciting challenges of my football career. It was my first move overseas, and I didn’t know anything about what was waiting for me. But when I stepped onto the pitch at Celtic Park for the first time, saw the stadium fully packed, and heard You’ll Never Walk Alone so soooo loud like the ground was shaking, I got goosebumps all over my body. And I thought like, “ok, I’m going to give everything I have to this club.”
Union Berlin defender Juranovic, who spent a year-and-a-half at Celtic and was a teammate of Hatate’s was one of the first to reply and wish him well in his new chapter. He commented: “REOOOO REOOOOO HATATEEEEEEEEE. Good luck brother.”
Former Celts Jeffrey Schlupp and Adam Idah also reacted the news, along with current Hoops stars Alistair Johnston and Sebastian Tounekti. Ex Goalkeeper Joe Hart cited the rest of the Hoops hero’s song to pay tribute. He commented: “The Celtic get excited when they see him play, it’s strange that this feeling grows more and more, but we’ve never had a player like you before.”
Hatate thanks Celtic for rekindling his love for football
His Instagram post continued: “Playing football for Celtic made me realise again how much power football has. And being able to play football in front of you guys made me feel that from the bottom of my heart. At the same time, these periods here also made me strongly feel that I have to improve more and more as a professional footballer, and become a big player.
“Once again, I want to thank Celtic FC, this beautiful and legendary club, for giving me this opportunity and this environment. I also want to thank all my teammates who fought together with me, supported me, and inspired me. And of course, I want to thank every single one of you, Celtic Family, who always supported the club and supported me.”