Celtic fans can still trust Daizen Maeda to give maximum effort

He’s now in his fifth season at Celtic and has been a clear success. Last season was his best yet. What more is there for him to give? Scottish football is not an easy sell to overseas players, the repetitive fixture list, the long winters, the poor officiating, the physical treatment meted out to Celtic players in particular.

Add to that the club’s lack of ambition. After knocking on the Champions League door, the board downsized. It’s probably no coincidence Maeda told Rodgers he wanted out just after the January window, when Celtic sold Kyogo and failed to sign a replacement, a striker who might have made the difference against Bayern, where Celtic fell by a solitary goal.

Players see the direction of travel. Maeda saw downsizing, and he acted. He told the club he wanted to go, packed his bags, said his goodbyes. When asked in Japan, he told the truth.

That honesty has fuelled a pile-on. But to me, that feels unfair. If his performances have dipped, if he looks less sharp, is that not understandable? Imagine returning to work after saying your goodbyes, even handing out the cakes and collecting the farewell card, only to still be there the next day. Would you feel fully yourself? Or embarrassed, self-conscious, second-guessing how others perceive your commitment?

Maeda has had spells like this before, effort always there, end product occasionally not. Rodgers coaxed consistency from him last season, but even without that, he remains a pressing machine, still effective, still dangerous. He’s already played three positions this season, across the front line, with constantly changing teammates. That lack of stability impacts form.

If he never hits last year’s heights again, he still offers goals, assists, and relentless pressing. And will he now regret his honesty with the Japanese press? Perhaps. But the past can’t be changed. What matters is that right now, Daizen Maeda is still giving everything for Celtic.

The relationship between player and club may be nearing its natural end. The sands of time are slipping away. But while he’s here, he deserves respect. He has been treated poorly by the club’s shambolic recruitment and broken promises, yet has never thrown his toys out of the pram. He is no Wissa at Brentford, no Isak at Newcastle, no sulking star across the city.

Maeda told the truth. Some harm was done. But he hasn’t deliberately dropped his levels, he’s simply re-adjusting after believing he had checked out.

If there’s one player Celtic fans can still trust to give maximum effort, it’s Daizen Maeda. And he’ll prove it again soon enough.

Niall J

More on Daizen – the four legged version – and Nakamua (again with four legs) on the next page…