Overview
- Maeda scored in Wednesday’s 3-2 win at Motherwell, a match settled by a stoppage-time penalty, setting up a winner-takes-all finale against Hearts at Celtic Park.
- In five Premiership fixtures since the top-six split, he has seven goals and two assists, with each contribution directly turning draws or losses into points for Celtic.
- He told Japan’s FootballZone that playing in the English Premier League is his long-held goal, signaling openness to a move after this season.
- He enters the final year of his Celtic deal this summer, with reports of rising Premier League interest and club planning geared toward a sale rather than risking a free transfer in 2027.
- Celtic are lining up striker options such as Motherwell’s Tawanda Maswanhise and Elijah Just, and one report suggests they could extend Kelechi Iheanacho to steady the forward line, though that move is not confirmed.