Martin O’Neill publicly addressed Daizen Maeda’s Celtic future and could have simply said yes or no on whether he would stay at the club. Instead, the Hoops boss brought Henrik Larsson into the mix.
To be clear, Larsson’s name was not brought up to compare Maeda to the Celtic legend, it was mentioned because O’Neill believes Maeda’s contract situation could mirror the way Larsson brought his own Celtic career to a close.
And when he did that, he was telling the club how they should handle their approach to dealing with one of Celtic’s most important players this season.
Daizen Maeda: irreplaceable?
How can Celtic move on from him this summer?
Martin O’Neill explains the Henrik Larsson Celtic comparison
Maeda is currently in Japan promoting his new autobiography, and when asked about his immediate Celtic future, O’Neill made the Larsson comparison.
The Celtic boss told The Herald, “I think there’s some resignation [of losing him] in that aspect. It isn’t one of those where he’s got a year left to run and we want to try and make something of it in the sense of getting money.
“It’s not that at all. Personally speaking, I would love it if he just let his contract run through. And played for the last year.
“Honestly, it would be super. I don’t know whether that’s in his mind or in his agent’s mind. If I throw back, not every comparison has been made, but Henrik Larsson told me a year before that that was going to be his last year.
“Now, his contract was out at that stage and he was fantastic for us in the final season. But he made it clear that that’s what he was going to do. He had his time.
“Now, the only difference between that is that he’s got a year left to run. That’s all. But it’s not one of us trying to make as much out of it in terms of finance.
“It’s me, personally. I’d love him to stay. I’m not sure that that’s going to happen.”
Why Celtic should listen to Martin O’Neill about Daizen Maeda
Celtic have the potential to start next season with a seriously depleted squad and right now, the lack of signings this summer is alarming.
With rumours of a £10m fee continuing to circulate, selling Maeda now would feel like sacrificing far more than Celtic would gain.
At this moment in time, Maeda is irreplaceable. There is not another player like him at Celtic or in Scotland.
Celtic don’t need the money. They do however need a team to compete for silverware and to get access to the Champions League group stage.
If Maeda can help O’Neill achieve that next season it would be worth allowing his contract to run down and lose him for free.
After all, he only cost £1.5m and has helped deliver five league titles, three Scottish Cups and two League Cups including a record-breaking eighth Celtic treble.
Martin O’Neill has managed enough elite players to know that not every decision should be made by the accountants. His Henrik Larsson story wasn’t about nostalgia.
It was a reminder that sometimes the greatest value a footballer brings isn’t the fee he earns on the way out, but the memories, trophies and success he delivers before he leaves.
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