Rodgers could land big Maeda upgrade in Celtic swoop for £5m talent

Celtic will head into 2025 at the top of the Scottish Premiership table, just as they did in 2024, after a comfortable 4-0 victory over Motherwell on Boxing Day.

 

The Hoops would, of course, have gone into next year at the top of the division irrespective of their result on Thursday, though, because they have built a healthy lead at the top of the division.

Brendan Rodgers’ side are a whopping 12 points clear of Rangers in second place and appear to be on course for a fourth straight title in the league.

Goals from Arne Engels, Daizen Maeda, Nicolas Kuhn, and Reo Hatate secured all three points for the Hoops at Parkhead, whilst Kasper Schmeichel did not have a single save to make between the sticks.

It was a dominant performance and a deserved victory for Celtic, who remain unbeaten in the Premiership after 17 matches, and Rodgers will surely be delighted with how his team is performing.

 

However, the January transfer window is around the corner and the Northern Irishman is reportedly in the market to add a left-winger to the group, which could put Maeda’s place in danger.

Daizen Maeda’s performances this season

The Japan international scored his third goal of the season in the Premiership against Motherwell on Thursday, heading in from point-blank range into an empty net in the second half.

 

It was far from an effective performance from the winger, however, as he had missed two ‘big chances’ prior to that and lost four of his five ground duels, which shows that the forward was wasteful in front of goal and weak in battles with opposition players.

Being wasteful at the top end of the pitch has, unfortunately, become a theme for Maeda in the Premiership, as he has missed nine ‘big chances’ – scoring three times – in 14 starts in the division.