According to Hochi.news, Daizen Maeda will sign for Celtic on an initial six-month loan deal with the option to purchase the player for 200 million yen, which equates to about €2 million EUR. The news comes after months of links between the Glasgow club and the Yokohama F. Marinos striker.
Maeda claimed the J-League gong for player of the season when the Japanese domestic season ended just a short time ago. The forward finished the year as joint top scorer for Ange Postecoglou’s former side, netting 23 goals overall during the course of the last calendar year in Japan.
The 24-year-old can play either left-wing or through the centre of a front three so will have an adaptability which will make him doubly valuable for Ange and his push for a first League title with the Hoops this year.
Also capped for the Japanese national team, Maeda has been included in the squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifier in January and February of 2022. This may change however, with the government in Japan eager to prevent unnecessary travel from other countries, preferring to stick with a 22-man domestic group of players moving forward due to the pandemic.
It will be a welcome bonus that Maeda will sign and also be available for our hectic schedule in the New Year. Celtic will have games coming thick and fast and will need the January transfer window to help replenish a purged squad of stretched footballers.
Multiple Japanese outlets reporting in the last 30 minutes that Daizen Maeda is expected to join Celtic on loan with a €2m purchase option to be exercised this summer.
Based on variety of sources I’d say this is done.https://t.co/nlFDWAj45p
— x Dan Orlowitz (@aishiterutokyo) December 29, 2021
🇯🇵 | Daizen Maeda
Celtic have reached an agreement with Yokohama F.M. to sign J League top scorer Daizen Maeda on an initial loan with the option to make the move permanent for £1.68M.
[Several Sources]pic.twitter.com/z35O0hnROG
— Everything Celtic (@aboutceltic) December 29, 2021
Separating this from Maeda thread:
Hochi reporting that Gamba Osaka aiming to sign Shonan Bellmare MF Mitsuki Saito (currently on loan to Rubin Kazan), describing him as a replacement for "Celtic-bound Yosuke Ideguchi."
Strong language but early yet.https://t.co/w2IGVhAyYX
— x Dan Orlowitz (@aishiterutokyo) December 29, 2021
Paul Gillespie
My question is why the loan period?
This a bit strange,finding out that this is a loan deal tbh. At first glance it displays a lack of confidence in the signing. Maybe we’re going to be spending so much money we can only afford a loan deal this time around……lol. Somebody will have to give a convincing answer why this is happening.