The forward’s form has come under scrutiny following a failed summer transfer away from Celtic.
A Celtic star may be facing with embarrassment as a result of a failed summer transfer, after receiving an urgent request regarding his Parkhead status.
Brendan Rodgers has spoken this week about how difficult Daizen Maeda has found life in the Hoops after his deal from the Premiership champions fell through. The Japanese international wanted to advance his career, but remained at Celtic with no deal in place, being substituted at half-time in a midweek draw with Red Star Belgrade despite a poor effort.
He was shifted from striker to right winger, although he failed to score in Saturday’s league match against Hibernian. Kevin Gallacher has experienced transfer disappointment and understands how an uneasy sense of embarrassment may develop for players who must face their teammates. The former Scotland international believes Maeda needs to get his head out of the clouds and start fighting for his position in the team again.
Kevin Gallacher discusses Daizen Maeda at Celtic.
Gallacher told the Sunday Post, “What should be done with Daizen Maeda? Last year’s Celtic goal-scoring star was so poor in Belgrade last Wednesday that he was pulled at halftime. By manager Brendan Rodgers, who is well aware of how the striker’s head was turned by an unsuccessful summer transfer. Maeda would have been thrilled at the prospect of a new challenge, which abruptly fell through.
“From experience, I know that in certain instances, the player may feel embarrassed. They may have provided signs to teammates that they may be leaving shortly. They might even have discreetly spoken their goodbyes. When it doesn’t happen, it might be awkward, and they may feel partially responsible for it.
“When the head is down, performance suffers, and it can create a vicious cycle because no management can ignore bad form. It doesn’t matter if you scored over 30 goals the previous season; if you look poor on any given day, you’ll be on the bench, watching your teammate play instead of you.
Can Daizen Maeda regain his Celtic form?
“That’s football. Managers are under pressure to achieve results, which is especially true for a team the size of Celtic. And if this continues, the players will tease you.
“There may be a few digs here and there, and if that happens, you must be prepared to deal with them. Unfortunately for Daizen, there is no magic wand to use to make things better.
“You may have a lot of “what ifs,” but no amount of thinking about it will change the fact that it did not happen.” As difficult as it may be, you must put that out of your mind since the remedy is to work hard to regain your form. If you do that, everything will get easier. If you are not on the squad, work hard to get back in.
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