Daizen Maeda says discussions over a new contract will be on hold until Celtic’s pursuit of the Treble is complete…
The PFA Scotland Player of the Year also confirmed he has no plans to make another exhausting journey to Japan before the Scottish Cup Final. The Hoops star flew back to Japan last week with his family to be there for the birth of his third child.
Baby Maeda didn’t make an early arrival
However, baby Maeda didn’t make an early arrival, so the forward quickly returned to Scotland, just in time for Sunday’s Glasgow Derby 1-1 draw at Ibrox. There’s no truth in the rumour that Daizen decided to run back rather than catch a flight, as it was quicker. The 27-year-old plans to remain in Glasgow for the coming weeks, fully committed to helping Celtic achieve a clean sweep of domestic trophies.
“Yes, the gaffer spoke to me about it”
Maeda also acknowledged that he’s content to hold off on contract talks until after the Hampden showpiece final with Aberdeen. The Japanese forward, whose contract runs at the Hoops until 2027, said: “Yes, the gaffer spoke to me about it. But there are still some games to be played this season, so I just want to focus on them.
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“We still have the Scottish Cup final to play”
“We still have the Scottish Cup final to play for this season, so I don’t want to focus too much ahead. I want to focus on that. I know this number of goals is not easy to achieve, so I don’t want to think too much about this being the objective for next season. I would like to focus on everything, including goals, and then in the end maybe I can achieve something.”
Maeda confessed that the 20,000-mile round trip took its toll, and he was too fatigued to convert a golden opportunity for a dramatic stoppage-time winner against theRangers.
An updated look to our Roll of Honour…🏆
Daizen Maeda becomes the third Japanese player to win our Player of the Year award whilst Emma Lawton is the first Scottish Player to win SWPL POTY 👏#PFASAwards25 pic.twitter.com/JQISPKQinl
— PFA Scotland (@PFAScotland) May 7, 2025
He said: “It was a difficult trip this time because of the time difference and all the travel. It took a lot for me to go back and forth. So yeah, now I plan just to stay here for the rest of the season. I was expecting my baby to be born in Japan but still he hasn’t been born yet. So it was a bit difficult with the travel and everything.”
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“I was grateful for his trust”
“But the manager used me against theRangers and I was grateful for his trust. At that moment physically it was very tough, I couldn’t do much. I wish I could have scored that one. But overall, what we have done this season has paid off, we have won the league and I’m very happy about that.”
The modest Celtic forward was delighted to receive the award
Though frustrated by his performance at Ibrox, Maeda capped off a stellar season by taking home the top honour at the PFA Scotland awards on Sunday night. The modest Celtic forward was delighted to receive the award, but downplayed any talk of stardom, stressing his focus remains firmly on winning another medal at Hampden.
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“I’m very happy to be voted by my fellow footballers”
Maeda said: “I’m very happy to be voted by my fellow footballers. As a foreigner it’s really difficult to receive something like this so I’m very grateful. I’m not a superstar or anything, I’m just glad to receive this award.
“We have the cup final, but we also have three league games to play and it would be nice to show why we are the champions. We will have to get the results there, finish the league strongly and then hopefully get the last trophy.”
A relentless season from Celtic’s Japanese sensation, Daizen Maeda is PFA Scotland Premiership Player of the Year.
Listen to his reaction after the award 🏆@CelticFC pic.twitter.com/7v2FuU5JAb
— PFA Scotland (@PFAScotland) May 4, 2025
Conor Spence
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