It is the end of an era for Celtic and Brendan Rodgers after a string of disappointing results across all competitions led to the manager tendering his resignation this week.
The Hoops did beat Sturm Graz in the Europa League last week, to their credit, but they have also lost three of their last five matches, including their last two in the Scottish Premiership.
Dane Murray scored an own goal and conceded a penalty in a rare start against league-leaders Hearts on Sunday, taking their opponents eight points clear at the top of the table.
The Hoops are in a position they do not often find themselves in, chasing the team at the top of the table, and Rodgers has decided that he is not the man to take the club forward.
Celtic have already confirmed that incredibly experienced manager Martin O’Neill will lead the team in the interim period until a permanent head coach can be unveiled.
The former Hoops boss will have some big calls to make for the team selection against Falkirk, with Arne Engels one of the players whose future at the club is in some doubt because of his performances.
Why Arne Engels' future at Celtic may be in doubt
The Scottish giants broke their transfer record to sign the Belgium international from Augsburg for a fee of £11m in the summer of 2024 to bolster their options in the middle of the park.
For a 21-year-old playing in Scotland for the first time, with the pressure of his transfer fee, a return of ten goals and 13 assists in 52 appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, was an impressive haul.
Unfortunately, Engels has failed to kick on in the current Scottish Premiership campaign, as he has only been named in the starting line-up in four of his eight appearances.
xG
0.42
Top 33%
Goals
0
Bottom 3%
xA
0.48
Top 49%
Assists
0
Bottom 3%
Duels won
16
Bottom 31%
Duel success rate
29%
Bottom 4%
Interceptions
2
Bottom 18%
As you can see in the table above, the Belgian central midfielder has failed to provide much quality in possession, whilst he has struggled badly off the ball in midfield.
His dismal form in the Premiership, and lack of starts, may put his future up in the air ahead of the January transfer window, because he is an £11m asset who will not increase in value if his performances are poor.
However, there were positive signs against Sturm Graz last week. He assisted the winning goal, as shown in the clip above, and ended the game with five key passes and three ‘big chances’ created, per Sofascore.
That performance was a step in the right direction for Engels and shows that he can still deliver quality in the middle of the park for the Hoops, which is why O’Neill should not drop him from the XI.
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However, one player who should be instantly ditched by the interim manager, though, is Reo Hatate, whose performance levels have dropped significantly this season.
Why Reo Hatate should be dropped
Like Engels, the Japan international was an influential figure in the middle of the park for the Hoops in the 2024/25 campaign with his attacking contributions.
Hatate scored ten goals and created 14 ‘big chances’ in 37 appearances in the Scottish Premiership last season, which shows that he provided a regular threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Bhoys.
The Japanese star was even linked with a move to Serie A side Udinese off the back of his impressive performances for the club, but he remained at Parkhead until the close of the summer transfer window.
Unfortunately, Hatate has one goal and no assists in 13 appearances in all competitions so far this season, and was recenty criticised by a former Celtic manager in the win over Sturm Graz.
Speaking on TNT Sports’ coverage of the game, Neil Lennon was unimpressed by the midfielder, saying that his play on the ball was “so sloppy” throughout the first half.
Minutes
90
60
Key passes
3
1
Assists
0
0
Possession lost
16x
5x
Ground duels won
1/5
0/1
Aerial duels won
0/1
1/3
Tackles won
0
0
As you can see in the table above, Hatate gave the ball away 16 times against the Austrian outfit, whilst also losing five of his six duels, before going on to lose 75% of his duels against Hearts on Sunday.
The Japan international has, now, scored one goal and failed to provide any assists, with just 0.7 key passes per game, across seven starts in the Premiership this season, on top of his struggles in duels.
With Luke McCowan and Paulo Bernardo both waiting in the wings, and Lennon criticising his play on the ball last week, it looks like Hatate is finished in midfield unless his performances drastically improve.
Engels, at least, showed signs of life with his impressive display against Sturm Graz, creating as many ‘big chances’ (three) as Hatate has managed all season in all competitions (three), per Sofascore.
Whilst it remains to be seen who the next permanent manager of the club will be, it also remains to be seen whether or not Hatate has much of a future left in Glasgow, if his performances do not improve.
Unlike Engels, he is not currently showing signs of revival and that could mean that a transfer is considered in January, particularly given the interest from Udinese in the summer, as it may be the best option for all parties involved if Hatate cannot recapture his best form.