This time last season, Daizen Maeda was about to go on a crazy goalscoring run for Celtic ahead of Kyogo Furuhashi’s exit.
Given Celtic’s striker troubles, Martin O’Neill could do with that right now because a lot has changed in these past 12 months.
Whatever happens during the January transfer window, you sense that this will be Maeda’s final season at Celtic ahead of a summer exit.
Celtic simply won’t allow Maeda to leave in the winter, but whatever he does, Peter Grant thinks the Japan star has already hit the ceiling.
At what price would you consider selling Daizen Maeda?
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Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty ImagesPeter Grant on Daizen Maeda scoring 33 goals for Celtic
Maeda won Scotland’s PFA Player of the Year for the 2024/25 campaign, scoring 33 goals in all competitions and winning two trophies.
But Grant told Go Radio that the all-action forward won’t hit those numbers in his career again.
On several occasions, one thing that has constantly been thrown at Maeda is that he ‘isn’t a number nine’, even after hitting such a goal streak.
Grant stuck by that again, even though Maeda has proven to be an ‘outstanding’ player for the champions of Scotland over the years.
Paul Cooney: “Is it time for Maeds to go? 33 goals last season. Player of the Year. With strikers, it’s like goalkeepers. People always remember the key moments. The great save. The brilliant goal.
“But Kairat Almaty. If he had scored (the one-v-one chance), then it would have been different this season. We will never know.”
Grant: “People say, ’(33) goals last season.’ Yeah, we know that. But as I can say, I can swear now, I don’t think that will ever happen in his career again.
“If you are saying he got (33). He could have had 54 or 64, with the number of chances he had. That’s no disrespect. He was outstanding last year.
“His work ethic, which you expect from any professional footballer, was outstanding. But he isn’t a number nine, for me. Celtic need a number nine. A proper number nine.
“Johnny Kenny, I am not sure, he will still get his chances in a game. But he becomes the number nine for Celtic, who you have to score with your chances.
“I have always said, a good Celtic number nine would get four in six. Celtic don’t have that, at this moment in time.”
Maeda’s career goals by season
Throughout Maeda’s tenure in Glasgow, he has proven to be a nightmare for the opposition, without consistently having that cutting edge in front of goal.
This is a player who has performed in two countries during his career – Japan and Scotland- and he has hit double figures five times in his career.
- Season 15/16: 1 goal
- Season 16/17: 13 goals
- Season 17/18: 7 goals
- Season 18/19: 2 goals
- Season 19/20: 7 goals
- Season 20/21: 23 goals
- Season 21/22: 8 goals
- Season 22/23: 11 goals
- Season 23/24: 10 goals
- Season 24/25: 33 goals
- Season 25/26 (up to Jan 17): 8 goals
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