Just give Daizen Maeda the Player of the Year award now.
Is there anyone else in Celtic colours who can match or beat him to that individual prize? Perhaps the captain Callum McGregor has a shout.
Many months ago, you would have fancied Nicolas Kuhn, but his form has dropped off dramatically since the turn of the year.
Not only is Maeda performing for Celtic, but he has done it when Brendan Rodgers needed it most.
After Kyogo Furuhashi left Celtic, the powers that be didn’t replace him, and then a massive void was left up top.
Yet, it was Maeda who stepped up and it further proved his importance to this side that is edging closer to winning the Treble, but Chris Sutton is worried about one thing.
Chris Sutton tells Celtic fans to be ‘worried’ by Daizen Maeda’s comments
Given Maeda’s form, especially his four goals in the Champions League, it’s going to attract interest from those with big, big pockets.
That should be seen as a compliment and further proof of how well Celtic’s recruitment has worked, but the player himself has made some interesting comments.
Maeda stated that he is ‘unsure’ about his long-term Celtic future, which isn’t great to hear, and Sutton didn’t like the sound of it, as he told Sky Sports Football (16/03/25).
“I thought Kyogo was going to be irreplaceable and I was worried when Celtic sold him in January,” said Sutton.
“I was thinking, ‘is Maeda as clean in his hold-up play and link-up, as Kyogo?’. And he surprised me, in that respect. Also his finishing. His finishing has been first class. I think it’s something like 17 in his last 19 games, or whatever it is. His game is developing.
“If I was a Celtic fan, then I would be slightly worried about that interview when he said that he ‘wasn’t sure’ about his future, just because of how important he is.”
Maeda’s numbers for Celtic this season
It needs to be remembered that Celtic still need to bring in an out-and-out striker in the summer, even with Maeda on board and Adam Idah.
So, it’s a big no-no, for the club to lose the Japan star in the summer because he is now producing the best football of his career.
That’s proven by his numbers, which will only get better as the season draws to a close, as he possibly aims for 40 goals in all competitions.
| Competition | Games | Goals | Assists | Minutes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Premiership | 27 | 13 | 7 | 2.004′ |
 | UEFA Champions League | 9 | 4 | 1 | 763′ |
 | SFA Cup | 3 | 5 | – | 270′ |
 | League Cup | 3 | 6 | 1 | 282′ |
| Total 24/25: | 42 | 28 | 9 | 3.319′ | |
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