Daizen Maeda has looked like a shell of his best self this season, and it adds up, considering he has admitted that he wanted to leave in the summer but the wish was not granted. Perhaps he needs some time out of the team to clear his head and find his form again. But due to Celtic's lack of depth up top, there is very little chance of that happening.
The most likely scenario is that Maeda will leave the club amid growing exit rumours. That might happen in the next transfer window or in the summer. But the move does seem inevitable at this point.
Everton are a club who have been linked with Maeda in recent times. They have gotten back on track since the appointment of David Moyes and currently find themselves sitting at 10th in the Premier League table, level on points with Chelsea. For a team that has spent the past several years just trying to somehow avoid relegation, that is a pretty decent spot to be in.
Where would Maeda fit in at a club like Everton? It is hard to imagine that he would be able to get ahead of Jack Grealish in the pecking order. As reported by Football Insider, Pete O'Rourke said about the situation:
"For Everton, it’s an interesting link because Maeda is probably best operating down the left wing, but Grealish is there right now as well and he isn’t going to get ahead of Grealish in that role.
“Obviously he has played up front as well and maybe that’s where Everton see him as a number nine rather than a wide forward as well.
“But for right now, think Celtic will be looking to keep hold of Maeda.
“It’s maybe something that might be revisited in the summer window, especially if the player is unsettled up in Glasgow. It might be best for everybody if there’s a parting of the ways."
Daizen Maeda to Everton update amid growing Celtic exit links
It would be an understandable step for Maeda to want to move to the Premier League. But is he someone who is ready to make that jump?
Other than the 24/25 campaign, at no point in time has he been a prolific goalscorer for Celtic. For the most part, he has been viewed as a winger with a phenomenal workrate. But can he get into a Premier League team just on that? It does not feel like the case.
Perhaps Maeda could be a starter for a club in the bottom half of the table, trying to avoid relegation. But is that the move he wants to make right before the World Cup?