Celtic had a decision to make on Daizen Maeda’s future and they made it months ago. It looked like the winger could have committed, but the situation is far from straightforward.
Maeda looked on his way out of Celtic last summer when a deal appeared to be there. That move did not happen, and the situation has not properly settled since.
There has been no clear resolution. What happened at that point still hangs over Maeda’s future.
And Martin O’Neill has now laid out the detail that explains why Celtic are in this position.
Was that Daizen Maeda’s best performance of the season?
Celtic allowed Maeda contract situation to drift
Maeda has hit some decent form for the title run in and attention turns to his future as O’Neill shares how Celtic were in the driving seat to secure it not too long ago.
The Celtic boss said, “I think there were contract talks with him… was it last August time or was it the time before that?
“I do know that there were talks and there was a contract in front of him, which he didn’t sign at the time. I don’t know the position now.
“I think there Wolfsburg were coming in for him and it didn’t materialise. I think obviously he became a bit despondent because it was a chance for him to play in the Bundesliga and all that type of stuff.
“So that didn’t happen. Maybe his head was all over the place for a while, but he has certainly settled down. But in terms of what’s happening in the future, I don’t know.
“I don’t know how long he’s got left. He’s got one more year, has he? Well, I don’t know. That would be something the club and he would have to be talking about.
“If he didn’t want to stay any longer, then that would be a choice for the football club to try and sell him with a year left to run.
“I just assume that would be the normal thing. But he’s come back to a bit of form, which is great. And I’ll look short-term at this minute and see how he can cope with the next five games.”
Celtic now face consequences of delayed decision
The impact on Maeda was clear when the move failed. His mindset dropped, and it showed in his performances.
His return to form now does not change the contract reality. If the deal is running down, Celtic move into a weaker position.
Clubs either sell or lose value when contracts reach that stage. Celtic had the chance to settle this when the contract was first placed in front of Maeda.
They did not get it done, and the situation now reflects that.
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