Why West Ham can yet dream of late Reo Hatate coup as Celtic exit nears

West Ham United may yet still be in the running to sign Reo Hatate from Celtic on deadline day.

The Hammers were credited with an interest in the Japan international earlier in the summer.

Hatate has spent four years at Celtic Park but has been tipped to exit before the window closes for Scottish sides on Thursday.

He has yet to feature under Martin O'Neill this season, but he remains a Celtic player as the deadline nears.

But a fresh update suggests he could well be on the move in the next 24 hours.

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Reo Hatate looks set for EFL transfer

West Ham were active on Monday as they confirmed the signing of Edvin Austbo.

Nuno Espirito Santo would no doubt like another one or two new players before the window closes.

Nottingham Forest defender Morato could join West Ham on loan, while other names have been mentioned.

But could Hatate still arrive at the London Stadium?

Japanese journalist Kazu Kakiuchi, who has close to 57,000 followers on X, reported on Monday that Hatate "appears to be nearing a move to an EFL Championship club".

It is also mentioned how a return home to the J-League was considered a possibility this summer, but that scenario is now deemed unlikely to happen.

While West Ham are not specifically mentioned, they have been strongly linked with the 28-year-old and no other clubs in the division have as big a stature.

What would Hatate bring to West Ham?

Hatate was considered a replacement for Lucas Paqueta given their styles of play.

Speaking in 2024, then-Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers described Hatate as a "different animal" given his quality.

While they did play in different divisions, Hatate and Paqueta had very similar stats last season in terms of their creative abilities.

Nobody is saying Hatate is as good as the man who left West Ham earlier this year, but it is all relative.

If the Irons can land a player of his quality for the Championship, it would be another impressive coup after already nabbing Arne Engels.