Heading into the January transfer window, all the talk has been about players that Celtic could sign in order to strengthen the squad. That is understandable. It is quite clear that Wilfried Nancy does not have the personnel to implement his style of football. But the Frenchman is quite clearly not a pragmatic manager and will stick to his methods, one way or the other. So, the Hoops must back him this winter with the right signings.
At the same time, there are those who could head in the opposite direction. And a regular starter is believed to be drawing interest from Turkey.
As reported by Taka Gazete, Trabzonspor have added Daizen Maeda to their transfer shortlist. The club's scouting team has been following the Japanese player for a long time, and they are currently investigating the financial terms of his transfer. He has a contract with Celtic that expires in 2027, and his transfer value is estimated at €14 million.
It has been widely reported in the Scottish media that Maeda was pushing for a summer exit but Celtic did not sanction it, having already seen Nicolas Kuhn leave. Half-a-season on and it looks to have been the wrong decision.
Celtic starter linked with €14m exit in January window
Maeda was brilliant in the 24/25 season. His form has dropped drastically since then though. Right now, the Japanese forward is struggling and taking him out of the team would not have much of a negative impact.
In the summer, Celtic could have drawn a higher transfer fee than they will in January, if they do part ways with Maeda. That is just how things go sometimes though.
If Celtic had allowed Maeda to leave in the summer, fans would not have been happy. You can't look at that decision in hindsight and criticise. For that time, it was the right one. Unfortunately, things have not played out according to expectations.