Journalist Anthony Joseph has offered fresh insight into Daizen Maeda’s Celtic future, lifting the lid on how close the winger came to leaving and why the club are determined to hold firm for now.
With the title race tightening and options already stretched, any major outgoing would carry clear risk. Maeda’s name has therefore become central to wider discussion about how far Celtic can afford to weaken before the season’s end.
The Japan international remains one of the most reliable players available to Martin O’Neill. His work rate, availability, and flexibility across the front line have made him hard to replace. Even when form dips, his importance to structure and intensity is difficult to ignore.
That context explains why renewed talk of big-money interest has unsettled supporters. Questions have been raised about whether Celtic would cash in if a major bid arrived again. Joseph’s comments provide clarity on where the club stands and why past decisions still shape the present.
Joseph said: (Off the Underside Podcast), “If Celtic sold Daizen like that in this January window, and it would be chaos, absolute chaos, if it was not already chaos.
“I think that is also the reason why they didn’t let him go in the last weekend of the window, the weekend of the derby, when he had that bid.
“It was big money, he had cleared out his locker, he was all set to go, and they weren’t able to because they just didn’t have adequate replacements.
“You’d probably have seen (Brendan) Rodgers resign there and then if they’d let Idah and Maeda go with no replacements, given the way it turned out.
“So if someone bids silly money, Celtic would have to entertain it, but it’s very unlikely Maeda will be sold in this window.
“Celtic are not looking to sell assets, they are focused on the short term, winning the league, because they’ve put themselves in a mess and are struggling to get players in.“
Here is a simpler reworded version at roughly the same length and structure, with clearer language and shorter ideas:
Joseph’s account shows how close Celtic came to a big moment earlier in the season. Maeda was ready to leave, but the move fell apart at the last moment, which underlines how quickly plans were changing. Decisions were made out of necessity rather than long-term planning.
It also underlines how small the room for error is right now. Losing another first-team attacker without replacements would stretch the squad even further. That risk is clearly seen as greater than any financial gain.
For Maeda, the situation is unusual but straightforward. There is interest in him and his value is known outside Scotland, but events keep pulling him back into Celtic’s plans. For the moment, his role is set.
As Joseph makes clear, the focus is fully on the league. Results matter more than future planning until the season is decided. That thinking is guiding every move during this window.
In simple terms, Maeda is staying unless something dramatic happens. Celtic might listen to a huge offer, but there is no desire to weaken the squad. Keeping things steady is being chosen over taking chances.
The bigger picture is still uneasy. Recruitment has been slow, pressure has grown, and time is running down. Keeping Maeda does not fix those issues, but it stops them from becoming worse.
For now, Maeda’s short-term future is settled. He remains part of Celtic’s attempt to regain control and push through the title run-in. What happens after the season will likely be a separate discussion.
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