The fire was already lit for Celtic regarding this summer’s transfer window.
Given how the Celtic board dealt, or even didn’t deal with matters, just engulfed the noise around the club in a negative way.
The Celtic fans have been right to protest, but an unnecessary layer was added to it all once the 2025 summer transfer window slammed shut, and that’s the situation around Daizen Maeda.
Without hesitation, Maeda told Japanese media that he wanted to leave Celtic in the summer, but a transfer away from Glasgow was blocked.
But was he right to drop that bombshell?
Daizen Maeda is putting ‘unnecessary pressure’ on himself at Celtic
Ross McCormack feels that all Maeda has done, by being brutally honest, is just put ‘unnecessary pressure’ on himself.
Speaking on Clyde 1, the former Scotland striker thinks that, with Maeda’s poor form, it now allows some section of the fanbase to use that he wanted to leave, against him.
But Gordon Dalziel wanted to point out that everyone has seen what type of character and effort Maeda puts into his game, and he is the last person to drop his efforts.
“I don’t understand why the player has said it then,” said McCormack. “It just puts unnecessary pressure on you, because fans know that, at some point, you wanted to leave the football club. Didn’t get your wish. And now, all of a sudden, if you are off it a little bit, then fans are going to have that against you.”
Gordon Dalziel: “There are certain players where fans would look at and think, ‘oh, he’s trying to work his ticket here.’ I don’t think Maeda comes into that category for me.
“He’s a real honest, hard-working player. It’s just now; it isn’t working for him. He isn’t going to go on the left, so they had to put him on the right-hand side against Hibernian.”
Maeda’s Celtic numbers this season
What also hasn’t helped Maeda’s cause is the position he has been playing because he clearly isn’t a centre-forward.
For Celtic’s goalless draw against Hibernian, he was used on the right wing, with Kelechi Iheanacho down the middle, and Sebastian Tounekti on the left.
Given how the summer signings have started the campaign, that’s something that will probably remain in place for the foreseeable future. Until then, Maeda needs to find his mojo back.
- Games: 11
- Starts: 9
- Off the bench: 2
- Minutes: 795
- Number of positions played: 3
- Goals: 2
- Assists: 2
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