Celtic were dealt a blow during the summer transfer window as Parkheaad’s star winger Jota was sold ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
Who are Celtic’s biggest ever sales?
The Hoops forward moved to Saudi for a reported transfer fee of £25m earlier this year after one season in Glasgow on a permanent basis, having also spent 12 months on loan prior to a £6.5m switch in 2022.
|
Player sold |
Fee received via Transfermarkt. |
|---|---|
|
Jota |
£25m |
|
Kieran Tierney |
£23m |
|
Moussa Dembele |
£19m |
|
Odsonne Edouard |
£14m |
|
Virgil van Dijk |
£13m |
Former Bhoys head coach Ange Postecoglou, who left the club to join Tottenham in the Premier League shortly after the 2022/23 campaign ended, certainly hit the jackpot with that particular move.
The Scottish giants made a significant profit on the Portuguese dynamo within the space of a year, showing that the Australian head coach was able to unearth a gem by developing the young talent’s potential during their time together at Paradise.
Jota is not the only signing made by Postecoglou who has been a roaring success, though, and another player who could end up leaving the club for a huge fee is Japan international Daizen Maeda.
How much did Celtic pay for Daizen Maeda?
The Hoops reportedly spent £1.6m to sign the attacker on a permanent basis from Yokohama in the summer of 2022 after he spent six months on loan with the club during the second half of the 2021/22 campaign.
Celtic landed the energetic forward initially on loan after he enjoyed a phenomenal 2021 campaign with his former club in Japan.
Maeda showcased his ability as a goalscorer throughout his final year with Yokohama as he plundered an eye-catching 23 goals in 36 J1 League outings. He also assisted three goals and created four ‘big chances’ for his teammates to go along with his frequent scoring at the top end of the pitch.
The Japanese sensation averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.09 throughout those matches, which was the seventh-highest score within the squad.
That exceptional form came after a difficult year in 2020 where only found the back of the net three times and failed to create a single goal for his teammates in 23 J1 League matches.
Maeda also happened to work with Postecoglou at Yokohama for the majority of that time as he scored 12 goals and assisted four in 50 appearances for the Australian head coach for the Japanese side.
How many goals has Maeda scored for Celtic?
The now-Spurs boss knew exactly what he was getting when he signed the 25-year-old and it has turned out to be a fantastic piece of business for the club.
Maeda has scored 19 goals in 77 matches in all competitions for the Scottish giants to date and has become an incredibly reliable option out wide or through the middle throughout his spell.
He hit the ground running during his initial loan spell with Celtic in the second half of the 2021/22 campaign as he immediately made an impact on the pitch.
The speedy ace racked up six goals and five assists in 16 Scottish Premiership outings, 14 of which were starts, for Postecoglou as he showcased his ability to score and create goals on a regular basis.
Impressively, the at-the-time loanee recorded one goal and four assists in five matches during the top-six split, which shows that he produced consistent quality against the best of the best within the division.
There was no need for a period of adaption to life in Scottish football as Maeda was able to instantly translate his impressive form for Yokohama over to Celtic.
Maeda then completed his permanent £1.6m move to the club in the summer of 2022 and enjoyed a terrific first full season with the Bhoys as they won the domestic treble.
He racked up 11 goals and seven assists in 49 matches across all competitions, which included eight goals and five assists in 31 Premiership outings.
The 25-year-old, who created six ‘big chances’ for his teammates in the top flight last term, has also enjoyed a strong start to the current campaign, demonstrating himself to be a pivotal component of Brendan Rodgers’ side too.
Maeda has created three ‘big chances’ in five Premiership matches this term and assisted one goal to go along with an average Sofascore rating of 7.10, which shows that he has the ability to split open the opposition’s defence as well as being a goal threat.
How much is Maeda worth now?
It was recently reported by TEAMtalk that Postecoglou now happens to be interested in signing the Japanese marksman once again ahead of the January transfer window.
The report claimed that Spurs are monitoring the Celtic star’s situation as they consider a possible swoop to sign the versatile forward ahead of the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.
It stated that the Scottish giants would a fee of around £25m for the 5 foot 8 forward’s services, as they would like a similar amount to the one that they received from Al Ittihad for Jota in the summer – £25m.
Maeda, who former Celtic striker Chris Sutton once hailed as a pressing “machine” for his relentless closing down of the opposition, has, therefore, seen his value skyrocket from £1.6m to £25m within the space of a year.
The former Yokohama star has been a fantastic signing for the Hoops and Postecoglou certainly played a blinder by bringing him to Scotland after their first spell together in Japan.
He evidently saw enough from the wide attacker to suggest that a move to Scotland would allow him to thrive and the Australian head coach has been proven right over the last 18 months.
Celtic have already benefitted from the move on the pitch, as shown by the aforementioned statistics over the last two seasons, but they could now benefit off the pitch with a significant profit on Maeda if Spurs decided to meet their £25m valuation in the January window.