Daizen Maeda is a uniquely important player for Celtic.
Ever since being brought to the club by Ange Postecoglou in 2022, Maeda has been a nightmare for opposing defenders with his relentless pace and energy.
Initially a player who split opinion among fans, he established himself as an indispensable player in Brendan Rodgers’ side in a stunning 2024-25 campaign which saw him named Player of the Year by both Celtic and the SWFA.
However, he is currently making headlines for very different reasons after making the bombshell revelation that he wanted to leave Celtic in the summer.
Discussing his importance to Rodgers’ side, one former Hoops midfielder has said that Maeda’s role in the team reminds him of a Scotland player – and it probably isn’t who you think.
Daizen Maeda’s relentlessness dictates the team like Billy Gilmour says Scott Allan
They may not be remotely similar players – rather the opposite – but for former Celtic man Scott Allan, Maeda’s intensity leads the Celtic team similarly to Billy Gilmour’s calmness.
Not every player has the ability to affect the tempo of a match, but similarly to the Napoli midfielder, Maeda can – and Allan says that makes his drop-off in form a worry.
Speaking on Clyde Superscoreboard, he said: “We’ve spoken about what Billy Gilmour does for a team in terms of spreading that calmness – what Maeda does first first and foremost is with that intensity.
“When you see one of your strikers hunting down the ball the way he does, getting a touch on it, it’s a trigger. And automatically, because of the pace of it, everybody else is then at that intensity.
“And because he’s maybe come off it a bit, you can see that if he’s not playing well, they struggle. They’ve not got the same intensity. There’s no question about that.”
Maeda’s intensity has become essential to Celtic’s form, so in spite of his stated unhappiness, he will need to up his game if Celtic are to get back to winning ways.
Daizen Maeda likely to become permanent Celtic striker after new signings
New Celtic additions Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Sebastian Tounekti are both primarily left-wingers, creating a level of depth in that position that doesn’t exist in other areas of Celtic’s frontline.
With Adam Idah having left Celtic for Swansea, this makes Maeda the clear first-choice striker at the club.
The departure of Kyogo Furuhashi moved his compatriot into the central striker role last season, but that position had largely been taken up by Idah so far this campaign.
With the left-wing additions expected to play a big role, Celtic fans will be seeing even more of Daizen leading the line this campaign.
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