The new Premiership season is here, and Celtic are ready to defend their title.
Just how strong or improved Celtic’s squad is from the previous campaign is another argument and point altogether.
One big name has already departed Brendan Rodgers’ squad this summer, and that was the sale of Nicolas Kuhn to Como.
The Celtic Park faithful could probably reluctantly accept such a transfer because Kuhn’s form fell off towards the back end of last season, and there are other important players within the squad.
The main one is Daizen Maeda, after he produced the best season of his career last time out, scoring 33 goals and helping the Hoops to two trophies, but will he stay in Glasgow?
Celtic told Daizen Maeda won’t leave
Maeda has made worrying comments about his future leading up to the summer, so the Celtic supporters will breathe a sigh of relief that he is still at the club.
But Charlie Mulgrew thinks the Japan star’s opportunity to make a switch to the English Premier League has probably now passed him,
The former defender, alongside Barry Ferguson, agreed that the 27-year-old can ‘100%’ play in the Premier League, but Mulgrew told Go Radio that he will now stay.
“Yeah, I think they can aye (Celtic keep Maeda),” responded Mulgrew. “Is he 31? Is he that old?”
Paul Cooney responded: “No, I think he is 28 or 29.” And then Barry Ferguson added: “I am surprised that nobody down the Premier League has been sniffing about him. 100%, he could (do it in the Premier League).”
Mulgrew: “He probably could with that pace and power. There is a lot of pace and power down there now. There is a lot of off-the-ball pressing, which he would be perfect for, and counter pressing. He counter-presses teams by himself.
“As soon as he loses it in their third, he chases three or four men, and he is a dream to play with. As a defender, when somebody presses that high up the pitch. It makes your job so much easier because you can stand on the halfway line and kind of people rush passes back to you.
“He could do it down south. But he is getting towards 30 now, so I don’t think he will go.”
What Maeda has in his game that other players with rapid pace don’t have
Maeda has always been a nightmare to play against because of his relentless pressing, but he always lacked that end product.
But, as soon as Kyogo Furuhashi left Celtic in January, his fellow countryman started to play centrally more often, and it transformed his game.
Mulgrew touched upon how many players have pace in their game, but ‘they don’t have a football brain’, but Maeda has both qualities.
“He has definitely improved,” said Mulgrew. “But sometimes, you play with players who are absolutely rapid, but they don’t have a football brain because they have never had to use a football brain.
“He seems to have that kind of final product, more often than not.”
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