Celtic Losing Leeds United Target Would Be Huge Blow Feels Ex-Attacker | OneFootball

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Former Scottish top-flight attacker Tam McManus thinks if Celtic lose Daizen Maeda, who has been linked with Premier League side Leeds United, then it would be a massive blow.

The 28-year-old Japanese forward was linked with a move out of Celtic in last summer’s window, with Premier League outfit Brentford showing strong interest in him, while there was interest from Turkish side Fenerbahce.

Maeda did not have the best start to the season, but one Celtic legend backed him to recover and the Japanese did not disappoint as he rediscovered himself under Celtic’s interim manager Martin O’Neill, scoring three times in the last four Scottish Premiership games.

Now with the winter transfer window approaching, Maeda is once again garnering attention and it has been suggested that the Celtic star is on Leeds United’s wish list.

The Whites finished the summer transfer window having failed to add the extra attacker they wanted, with a late scramble for Fulham’s Harry Wilson resulting in failure.

McManus is of the view that Celtic cannot afford to lose Maeda and he pointed out that the forward has regained his form.

He also stressed that losing Maeda in the January transfer window, taking into account the current form he is in, would be a huge blow for the Scottish giants, but admits there may well be an agreement between the player and the club over a move.

“I think obviously there was a lot spoken about in the last summer window about his move to Brentford”, McManus said on PLZ Soccer (3:20).

“He had been promised a move from Celtic, but it did not happen because Celtic quite certainly could not afford to let him go after letting Adam Idah go.

“They were really short in the forward area, so whether that gentleman’s agreement is still in place in this coming window, I don’t know, but Celtic need him.

“I think he starts the press up there. He is back to scoring goals. 

“He is back to his best under Martin O’Neill and I am sure that Wilfried Nancy will look at him as a key player, so whether that is set in stone with his agent and the club that he does go to Brentford in January or another club, no one knows at the minute.

“But certainly if he left Celtic the way he is playing just at the minute, he would be a huge blow.”

Whether Leeds, Brentford or another Premier League side will make a move for Maeda in the January window remains to be seen, but Celtic have attacking issues of their own.

The club sold Adam Idah in the summer, after selling Kyogo Furuhashi in the winter window, to deplete their resources.