Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - January 14, 2023. Celtic's Daizen Maeda celebrates scoring.
Celtic forward Daizen Maeda leaving the Scottish Premiership club this month is ‘almost unthinkable’, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
The Lowdown: Southampton interest
The Japan international first arrived at Parkhead back in January last year on loan from Yokohama F Marinos, before making his switch permanent in the summer having excelled during his temporary spell in Glasgow.
Sky Sports have recently claimed that Southampton are monitoring the 25-year-old after a standout first half of the season, but with his contract not set to expire until 2026, the Hoops are in a very strong negotiating position.
He will have no doubt attracted more attention thanks to his impressive World Cup campaign, as Japan shocked the world with wins against Germany and Spain, with Maeda getting himself on the scoresheet in their eventual penalty shootout defeat to Croatia.
The Latest: Jones’ verdict
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones wasn’t surprised to learn that Maeda is attracting attention but insisted that Celtic aren’t likely to let him go before the end of the window.
“He’s definitely a good player to be scouting and looking at, but Maeda has been so important to Celtic.
“And to be honest, it seems almost unthinkable that they would do any business like this. So, unless the player was to push for it, I don’t see how it would really happen.”
The Verdict: Keep hold of him
Maeda has been hailed a ‘livewire’ by Rio Ferdinand, and considering the hugely positive impact he has at Celtic Park, Ange Postecoglou needs to do everything he can to keep hold of him.
The Taishi native has clocked up 12 goal contributions in 28 outings across all competitions this season and offers the boss plenty of versatility with the flexibility to operate in three various positions (Transfermarkt).
Only four Hoops players have scored more Premiership goals than him this season while he has also drawn praise for his work rate, pressing and ability in possession.
Maeda leaving would be a massive blow for the Bhoys so it’s important that they retain his services for at least the remainder of the campaign before reassessing the situation in the summer.
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