Celtic have agreed their first signing of January already

Who is Daizen Maeda?

Daizen Maeda was arguably the best player in the 2021 J1 League season. He ended up topping the scoring charts, along with Leandro Damiao, despite not being an out and out striker.

According to stats from Transfermarkt, he scored 23 goals and provided 5 assists in 36 J1 League appearances. Brilliant numbers for any player.

And it is not just because of his incredible season that Celtic might have their eyes on him. The Japanese star has already played under the management of Ange Postecoglou, during their time together at Yokohama F. Marinos.

In fact, he was brought to the club by Postecoglou and it has proven to be a tremendous move on the part of the J1 League side to say the least.

Maeda could be the perfect fit for Celtic

Maeda is incredibly fast, has brilliant stamina, has an eye for goal and possesses the ability to finish with both his feet.

On top of everything else, he will already be very familiar with Postecoglou’s style of football and has already played in Europe as well, having spent time with Portuguese side, Maritimo.

Still just 24 years of age as well, Maeda would be expected to improve further moving forward. As a result, he has the potential to be a tremendous signing for Celtic.

Of course, a lot will depend on how he adjusts to the Scottish game as well but after seeing the success that Kyogo has enjoyed since arriving at Parkhead, Celtic fans will be excited by the move to say the least.

What’s next for Celtic?

Maeda is not the only player from the J1 League that Celtic are believed to have their eyes on either. They have also been heavily linked with Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi.

Hatate has been a standout in the J1 League recently, while Ideguchi was once considered to be the next big thing in Japanese football although his development has stalled a bit in the past few years. The potential is unquestionable though.