Daizen Maeda’s contract situation has been a huge topic for Celtic supporters.
The forward has emerged as an indispensable member of the Hoops’ squad under Brendan Rodgers, particularly in last season’s campaign when he was named the club’s player of the year.
He is also a crucial member of Japan’s international side, where he has contributed at several international tournaments under Hajime Moriyasu.
Given his clear qualities as a player, it isn’t hard to imagine why clubs are queuing up for the rapid forward – a likely factor in Maeda’s decision to keep his cards close to his chest in regards to his contract.
However, he has now revealed some seriously alarming details about his transfer situation – including the talks he has held with Celtic in recent months.
I told Celtic I wanted to leave says Daizen Maeda
Celtic lost a number of key first-team members in the recent transfer window, most notably Nicolas Kuhn, who moved to Como in Italy.
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However, Maeda has now revealed that it could have been worse. In an incredibly revealing chat with Japanese media, he has discussed his transfer plans from the summer which didn’t materialise.
Via gekisaka, Maeda said: “I had received an offer, and I had been telling the club that I wanted to take the next step, but Celtic hadn’t been able to make any good reinforcements, so in the end they told me that they couldn’t let me.
“There were some things that I had agreed to personally, so I wanted to take on the challenge. My joining the national team was delayed, and I had been talking to Celtic until the last day, but it didn’t work out.
“I’d been talking to the club since before the end of the previous season, and I’d always told them, I wanted to take the next step, but we had league games and we lost in the Champions League qualifiers, so it was difficult.”
It is hard to imagine the level of uproar that would now be ongoing had the club left Maeda to leave in the summer – but it doesn’t make these revelations any less worrying.
Daizen Maeda comments make January departure a serious possibility
Maeda’s words indicate that he is keen to leave Glasgow sooner rather than later – and despite the transfer window having just closed, January could be a different story.
The club have brought in attacking reinforcements, but it is widely believed to not be enough. Given Maeda’s importance to the side, the lack of strengthening in the window makes it understandable why the club didn’t sell.
But should Maeda’s exit be facilitated, the microscope will be on the Celtic hierarchy more than ever. Last season’s player of the year would be incredibly difficult to replace.
Things just get more and more stressful for Celtic fans when it comes to transfers…
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