“What an amazing job Celtic have done with a fantastic player,” Harry Kewell

The Celtic Star

·3 mars 2025

“What an amazing job Celtic have done with a fantastic player,” Harry Kewell

Former Celtic first-team coach Harry Kewell has expressed surprise the club hasn’t attracted more offers for the amazing Daizen Maeda…

Daizen Maeda celebrates. St Mirren v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, Saturday 1st March 2025. Photo: Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

The Japanese forward has been in excellent form since the turn of the year, netting yet again in Celtic’s hard-fought 5-2 victory over St Mirren at Paisley on Saturday evening.

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Harry Kewell spent 18 months at Celtic

Kewell became an assistant coach at Celtic in the summer of 2022, working under the stewardship of Ange Postecoglou. The former Liverpool and Leeds winger spent 18 months at Celtic before leaving a year ago to take charge of Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan.

Throughout his time at Celtic, Kewell collaborated closely with Maeda on a personal level and recently expressed his shock at the lack of transfer interest in the 27 year-old: “I’m surprised someone hasn’t already come in for Daizen, that’s the truth,” the Aussie outlined as reported in Daily Record. “The way football is played today, especially with the high press and high energy fans and managers want, he’s the perfect candidate. So, there’s no limit for Daizen, in terms of the level he can get to.

Daizen Maeda celebrates. St Mirren v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, Saturday 1st March 2025. Photo: Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

‘There will be other clubs in for him”

“Unfortunately for Celtic, if he keeps scoring, they’ll find it difficult to hold on to him. Because there will be other clubs in for him. And that’s a great thing because it shows what an amazing job Celtic have done with a fantastic player.”

Maeda has scored on 26 occasions and provided eight assists in 40 appearances in all competitions this campaign, making him a clear contender for Player of the Year in Scotland.

Celtic’s Australian coach Harry Kewell leads a training session at Lennoxtown. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)

‘I absolutely loved being at Celtic’

Kewell, who is currently not involved in football after being sacked from Yokohama in the summer, said: “I absolutely loved being at Celtic and working with the players there.

“I had a wonderful time in Japan. Daizen actually gave me some great advice going over there and the players in Japan are fantastic, they always want to learn. I enjoyed the J-League but I’m looking forward to my next opportunity now.”

Conor Spence