Maeda leaves big gap at Celtic after massive impact

When Daizen Maeda joined Celtic as a relatively unknown J-League attacker in 2022, no one could have imagined the kind of success he would go on to have in Glasgow's east end. Maeda arrived in the early days of the Ange Postecoglou era, making the switch from Yokohoma F Marinos to Glasgow initially on loan in late December 2022 before completing a permanent switch in the following summer. Over his four years in Scotland, Maeda played over 200 games, contributing 79 goals and 38 assists. He won 10 trophies - five league titles, three Scottish Cups and two League Cups - and scored goals in the Champions League. He's been to two World Cups with Japan and established himself as a crucial member of the national team. The attacker's pace and energy has helped Celtic on numerous occasions but the 2025-26 campaign is what he'll be most fondly remembered for. After failing to replace Kyogo Furuhashi up front, Celtic relied on Maeda to play through the middle for almost the entirety of last season. Having initially struggled for form, he turned things around when it mattered most. Maeda was on a barren run, He'd scored just one goal in 18 games and before the league split hadn't scored in 11 matches. At that point, Celtic found themselves in second place in the table, trailing league leaders Hearts. What followed was transformational. Maeda scored seven goals in five Premiership matches, two of which were game-winning. He got the unforgettable second goal in the final-day decider at home to Hearts when, with the score level at 1-1, Maeda fired beyond Alexander Schwolow on 87 minutes to send Celtic Park wild. In his final game for Celtic, Maeda opened the scoring in a comfortable Scottish Cup final win over Dunfermline Athletic. While many fans will be sad to see him go, they probably feel it is deserved for a player that has contributed so much. But it provides even more evidence that Celtic need to act in the transfer market, and fast. As of late July they have made just one new signing, Qarabag striker Camilo Duran. With the hugely influential Maeda gone, and international team-mate Reo Hatate likely to follow, the squad is in grave need of quality additions.