Daizen Maeda has given Celtic supporters a reason to believe his Parkhead story might not be finished just yet.
The Japanese forward has been linked with a move away from Glasgow for some time. With a contract running until 2028, Celtic remain in a strong position, but Maeda has previously spoken about his ambition to test himself in England at some stage of his career.
Interest has followed him before.
A move to Bundesliga side Wolfsburg came close to materialising last summer before ultimately collapsing. The disappointment appeared to linger into the opening months of the campaign as Maeda struggled to hit the heights that had seen him crowned Premiership Player of the Year the season before.
Maeda was one of the driving forces behind Celtic’s domestic double, scoring nine goals in his final seven appearances and producing some of his most decisive football in a Celtic shirt.
With another transfer window now open, speculation around his future is unlikely to disappear. A player with his pace, work rate and versatility will attract attention.
But speaking ahead of Japan’s final Group F fixture against Sweden on Friday, Maeda delivered comments that supporters will be keen to hear.
Asked what he had learned during four-and-a-half years playing football in Scotland, he said (BBC):
“That, if you do your best, the supporters will feel it, and they’ll want to root for you.
“So I want to continue doing my best in Scotland.”
Those remarks will not end the transfer talk, but they do offer a different tone to the assumption many had made heading into the summer.
Maeda was told that a member of Scotland’s backroom team had said “tell him I love him”, to which the 28-year-old’s response reflected the connection he has built during his time in the country.
“Getting people to love and accept you, not just in Japan but in foreign countries like Scotland too, is not easy,” he said.
“So it makes me so happy that your friend said that.”
Many Celtic supporters had already resigned themselves to the possibility of Maeda moving on this summer. If that day comes, he has earned the gratitude of the support for what he has delivered in green and white.
Yet these latest comments suggest the situation may not be as straightforward as many believed.
Celtic would be a far stronger side with Maeda in it. His form during the closing weeks of last season was a reminder of the levels he can reach when everything clicks into place.
Nothing is decided, and interest may still arrive in the weeks ahead.
But for supporters hoping to see him leading the line again next season, Maeda has offered a hint that staying in Scotland remains very much on the table.
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One Response
he won’t have much choice if nobody comes in for him..but make no bones about this. playing in the premiership is a different ball game to playing in the spl as matt o reilly found out…you get found out very easily at a higher level