All the talk in the transfer window was about Celtic trying to get in a striker to replace Kyogo Furuhashi.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers had already made his feelings perfectly clear that he wanted to replace the Japanese icon but as the Hoops transfer window panned out, the club failed to get that player in.
With speculation rife that Celtic wanted to get David Strelec in on transfer deadline day, Rodgers was unsuccessful in adding another frontman to his Celtic first-team squad.
As it stands now, Celtic now must see out the title run-in with Adam Idah leading the line with Johnny Kenny as the only senior back-up player.
However, it seems that the Parkhead club may have a backup plan as Rodgers says Celtic already have a player he can use to fill in the Kyogo role, but only if he has to.
Brendan Rodgers says Celtic already have a ‘more natural’ striker at the club
Fronting up to the media in his first press conference since transfer deadline day, one of the questions Rodgers was asked was if he had any plans to utilise Daizen Maeda in that solitary striker role now.
Rodgers told Celtic TV [15m], “I actually can see a lot of more natural, instinctive striker movements that he has and how he plays the game.
“And I think if you track back to when he came in if you look back on your stats, I think you’ll see his numbers from when he came in from Yokohama, he was playing as a striker, 23 goals in 33 games or something.
“So the point is that I think in modern times we would go through the traditional number nine but he’s a goal scorer.”
Rodgers says Maeda’s runs are ‘way above Kyogo’s levels’ at Celtic
The Hoops boss also pointed to Maeda’s record at Yokohama F Marinos where the Celtic hero was prolific as a striker.
Clearly impressed by the Japanese winger’s goalscoring threat, Rodgers was also at pains to point out that whilst he can use Maeda as a striker, he doesn’t want to have to.
“And he’s done it in Japan, and now you see him doing it here,” the Celtic manager continued, “And whether he’s wide, through the middle, if you think that hattrick in Yokohama, I played him up front earlier in the season when Kyogo didn’t play, he scored two.
“It was the most pressing and penetrating runs that we had of any striker, way above Kyogo’s levels of penetration running. And he scored two and could have had more. So he’s a goal scorer. He scores a header like Henrik Larsson the other day.
“He might not do some of the other bits other strikers will do and be a traditional number nine, but how I asked my number nines to play and to run and set the game quickly and create space for other players, then I have absolutely no doubt that he can do that.
“I didn’t want to have to do that but I know that’s something that we can we can use.”
Rodgers has always been firm in his assertion that he wanted to replace Kyogo with another striker and with his final parting comment he has made it clear that if he were to use Maeda up front it is because the Hoops gaffer is being forced to.
Hopefully, Rodgers has targets in mind for the summer. Hopefully, the failure to replace Kyogo doesn’t bite Celtic this season.
Hopefully, Rodgers and the squad that he has can put up a good showing against Bayern Munich and get another treble over the line.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
