Tottenham Hotspur are weighing up whether to reunite Ange Postecoglou with his former Celtic forward Daizen Maeda but the Premier League giants would have to spend somewhere in the region of £25 million.
Of the three Japanese stars who helped fire Celtic to successive Scottish Premiership titles under the Aussie gaffer, Daizen Maeda is probably the least heralded. He neither possesses the extreme technical ability of Reo Hatate, or the ruthless consistency of Kyogo Furuhashi.
But while Maeda has faced his fair share of critics at times, the fierce work ethic and rapid pace which endeared him to Ange Postecoglou could potentially bring about a reunion between player and coach on the other side of Hadrian’s Wall.
Tottenham Hotspur, TEAMtalk say, are running the rule over Maeda, while ‘exploring the conditions of a move’. Celtic are likely to demand a fee in the region of £25 million, having sold fellow winger Jota to Saudi Arabian outfit Al Ittihad for a similar sum over the summer.
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou loves Daizen Maeda
Maeda, who also worked under Postecoglou back home in Japan for Yokohama F Marinos, can play through the middle at centre-forward but is probably at his most effective out wide on the left; helping out his full-back and putting his remarkable acceleration to good use.
And while concerns remain over his finishing ability – Maeda often lacks the clinical touch in the final third – a tally of 11 goals and seven assists in 2022/23 is testament to his never-say-die spirit and his ability to consistently get on the end of opportunities.
“How many runs does Daizen make in a game? Anyone who watches Daizen sees he’s constantly making runs and constantly in those areas,” Postecoglou said of Maeda, describing his £1.6 million acquisition as an ‘immense’ talent (Planet Sport).
“There were a couple of times he lacked a bit of composure. But he’s always there and it’s an enormous effort. That’s why he gets his goals.
Photo by Fareed Kotb/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
“I’ve known him for a while now. And sometimes people say he’s fortuitous but it’s on the back of working his backside off when we have the ball. He gets the rewards from that.”
At Tottenham, Maeda would add extra depth and versatility to a frontline already containing Richarlison, Heung-Min Son, Brennan Johnson, Manor Solomon and Dejan Kulusevski, not to mention teenager Alejo Veliz.
