We need to keep Daizen, but if Celtic receive an offer too good to refuse he’ll be away…
Daizen Maeda of Celtic FC during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Sporting CP and Celtic at Estadio Algarve on July 16, 2025 in Faro, Portugal. (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)
Daizen Maeda has been in the news these past few days with rumours of a new contract offer on the table, and now today he’s been linked with a move to EPL side Brentford.
After the loss of Nicolas Kuhn to Como, the last thing we need is to lose the inspirational Japanese front man, who was rightly named Scottish football’s Player of the Year for his terrific performances last campaign which resulted in two trophies.
Daizen Maeda of Celtic FC with Ivan Fresneda of Sporting CP in action during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Sporting CP and Celtic at Estadio Algarve on July 16, 2025 in Faro, Portugal. (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)
Daizen is not just a goalscorer and creator, he’s an all round valuable asset to the side such is his never say die attitude on the pitch, and that is attributes that would prove more than to replace. It’s more a case of Maeda being impossible to replace as he genuinely is one of a kind.
Celtic need to do as much as they can to persuade Daizen to extend his current deal
Celtic need to do as much as they can to persuade Daizen to extend his current deal whilst snubbing any concrete interest in the Japan international from south of the border. Niall J made a great case for Daizen staying at Celtic and showing what he can do in the Champions League then the World Cup next summer before getting him a bigger and better move than Brentford, with all due respect to them.
Daizen Maeda is challenged by Kieran Trippier of Newcastle during the pre-season friendly match between Celtic and Newcastle United at Celtic Park on July 19, 2025. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
However we are all savvy enough to know that if it’s a mega offer arrives, one that’s too good to refuse and Daizen through his agent makes it known that he wants away then he will be on the first plane to whatever destination the money is being transferred from.
But it’s got to be an offer that vastly exceeds the £17 million we received for Nicolas Kuhn, try doubling that sum for starters. And every single penny will have to go on several quality replacements. That goes without saying, but we would all rather he stayed put.
Daizen Maeda and teammate Reo Hatate are pictured with the Scottish Premiership trophy after the season’s final match against St. Mirren, on May 17, 2025. Photo IMAGO (The Celtic Star)
This is a summer window where Celtic will show us all their true ambition
This is a summer window where Celtic will show us all their true ambition to build on the satisfactory Champions League campaign last season not only by the signing that they make but also by their determination to hold onto our best players.
Nicolas Kuhn had turned into a want away and had checked out of Celtic long before he got on that private jet to take him to Como. Not so Daizen. Make him an offer he can’t refuse. But it’s all very well saying this on The Celtic Star, when we all deep down know the reality.
Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson during the match between Celtic and Hearts on May 04, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
When money talks the Celtic Board are attentive listeners.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
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Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter…
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Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter, out 5 September 2025. Available to pre-order now.
If Celtic get an offer too good to refuse he’s away
… News at SIX!
Tomorrow the earth will rotate to face the sun. This is the end of the broadcast.
That statement is, and always has been, true of every player, always.
For the record, I wish we had the FU money to tell more monied clubs to ‘Bolt, he’s ours!’.
They have a league that give them 100m if they get relegated and we get, what? 4m if we win ours?
The bigger teams in the bigger leagues could buy our starting XI out of spite just for the giggles.
Transfermarkt, last I checked, had our squad valued at about 130m, when PSG pumped us they’d just spent 350m on Neymar and Mbappe.
We regularly draw smaller teams in the UCL who have a guy going to the likes of Man City in the summer for 100m.
If we get a good offer they’d sell you gran, and with out TV revenue, we’d have to to just stay competitive. HH
If they sell Maeda or Hatate the club have no ambition to be successful in Europe. Both these players are vital.
Spot on Tony.
You are being incredibly naive!
Of course the club want to progress in Europe! That goes without saying. You need money to do that, and that money doesn’t come from continually winning the SPL, Scottish Cup and League Cup! It comes from runs in the Champions League. Runs in the Champions League comes from being able to strengthen. Being able to strengthen comes from making money, but not the money you get from winning trebles or doubles in Scotland! Not even from compin the Champions League really! The real money comes in the cycling of players, bought at low prices, developed and sold on for high prices!
Sadly, Scottish Football has no choice but to follow this road map!
Its the evelution of Scottish Football and we have mastered it so far.
We may have no choice but to sell Maeda, or Hatate, whether we like it or not! (Personally, if we do sell, I would rather see us sell Engels than Hatate! But who wants Engels?)
But the evolutionary cycle of Scottish football is what controls this! We manage it!
It had NOTHING to do with ambition or lack thereof!
That’s why we have Rodgers, Tierney, McGregor, Hatate, big Kasper, and all the other top international stars.
It’s also why we are the most successful club the country has ever seen!
£50m and no less. That’s the lowest possible realistic starting point. The market has moved on enormously from even our big sales of the likes of Dembele and Tierney. Put Maeda in the EPL and he’s a £100m player.
But Daizen should not even be touted. He’s priceless to us right now.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. That is all. Thank you.