Daizen Maeda is trying to find his rhythm again for Celtic after winning Scotland’s PFA Player of the Year last season.
It has been a rather interesting few weeks for Maeda, because he dropped the bombshell on top of Celtic’s abject 2025 summer transfer window, and that’s around his future.
After the window slammed shut, Maeda shared that he wanted to leave in the summer, but Celtic blocked the move.
It doesn’t help matters that the Japan star is now going through some poor form, including suggestions of his current mood after not leaving.
The ‘narrative’ around Daizen Maeda at Celtic
Steven Naismith praised Maeda for just ‘trying to be honest’ about wanting to leave Celtic, and he did make the comments after the window had slammed shut rather than stir the pot whilst it was open.
Speaking on the Warm-Up podcast, Naismith thinks there is a ‘narrative’ that the player’s bad form is down to him being ‘not happy’, but he wanted to shut that down.
“Is this narrative around Maeda come from the comments, where he’s probably just trying to be honest about the situation?” asked Naismith.
“Thought he might leave, looked as if he was going to leave, he doesn’t, but that then becomes the focus that is as if he’s a player that’s not happy.”
People are ‘putting two and two together and getting five’ with Maeda
One of the key reasons why Maeda hasn’t hit the straps this season is the fact that he is being asked to play down the middle.
Kelechi Iheanacho is now in the building, so it will allow Maeda to play out wide on a regular basis, and that was something Chris Sutton wanted to put forward.
“I don’t think it’s fair on him to say he’s downed tools,” said Sutton. “I think it’s more, he’s a player who started this season, the central striking role is one which he finds more difficult than playing off one of the wide areas.
“That’s affected him, and people will be sort of putting two and two together and getting five.”
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