Celtic will head into 2025 on the high of the Scottish Premiership desk, simply as they did in 2024, after a snug 4-0 victory over Motherwell on Boxing Day.
The Hoops would, in fact, have gone into subsequent 12 months on the high of the division no matter their consequence on Thursday, although, as a result of they’ve constructed a wholesome lead on the high of the division.
Brendan Rodgers‘ facet are a whopping 12 points clear of Rangers in second place and seem like on target for a fourth straight title within the league.
Targets from Arne Engels, Daizen Maeda, Nicolas Kuhn, and Reo Hatate secured all three factors for the Hoops at Parkhead, while Kasper Schmeichel didn’t have a single save to make between the sticks.
It was a dominant efficiency and a deserved victory for Celtic, who stay unbeaten within the Premiership after 17 matches, and Rodgers will certainly be delighted with how his group is performing.
Nonetheless, the January switch window is across the nook and the Northern Irishman is reportedly in the market so as to add a left-winger to the group, which might put Maeda’s place at risk.
Daizen Maeda’s performances this season
The Japan worldwide scored his third goal of the season within the Premiership towards Motherwell on Thursday, heading in from point-blank vary into an empty web within the second half.
It was removed from an efficient efficiency from the winger, nevertheless, as he had missed two ‘big chances’ previous to that and misplaced 4 of his 5 floor duels, which reveals that the ahead was wasteful in entrance of objective and weak in battles with opposition gamers.
Being wasteful on the high finish of the pitch has, sadly, develop into a theme for Maeda within the Premiership, as he has missed 9 ‘large possibilities’ – scoring thrice – in 14 starts within the division.
This reveals that the 27-year-old attacker has let his teammates down by failing to take advantage of the high-quality possibilities that they’ve created for him persistently within the top-flight.
Maeda, who has assisted three goals in his 14 league begins, additionally failed to supply constant high quality on the high finish of the pitch within the Premiership within the 2023/24 marketing campaign for the Scottish giants.
|
23/24 Premiership |
Daizen Maeda |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
28 |
|
Targets |
6 |
|
Huge possibilities missed |
12 |
|
Key passes per sport |
0.5 |
|
Assists |
3 |
As you’ll be able to see within the desk above, the Japanese ahead missed twice as many ‘large possibilities’ as he managed targets scored, and infrequently supplied a lot in the way in which of creativity, with one likelihood created each different sport on common.
Which means Maeda has scored 9 targets and missed 21 ‘large possibilities’ within the Premiership because the begin of final season, while failing to create a lot in that point, and that’s the reason there may be the potential for the Hoops to land an improve in his place.
Rodgers might discover that improve by swooping for one of many membership’s reported switch targets when the January switch window opens for enterprise subsequent month.
Celtic’s curiosity in £5m ahead
Earlier this month, Norwegian sports outlet Nettavisen reported that Celtic are one of many groups interested in a swoop for Sarpsborg ahead Sondre Orjasaeter.
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As talked about earlier, Rodgers wants to bring in one other left-sided attacker to return in and compete for a beginning spot within the group within the second half of the marketing campaign, to enhance the depth of his choices in that space of the pitch.
The Sarpsborg dynamo is a right-footed left winger, like Maeda, and would, due to this fact, match the invoice when it comes to what the supervisor is on the lookout for out there subsequent month.
It was not reported how a lot the Norwegian facet would need for the 21-year-old star, although, and it stays to be seen whether or not or not the Hoops are ready to make an official provide for his companies.
The Norway U21 worldwide is currently valued at £5m by Transfermarkt and that, maybe, might present an perception into the sort of price that Sarpsborg would demand for his signature.
Rodgers should, nevertheless, push for the board to safe a deal to signal the thrilling younger expertise in January, as a result of he might are available as a giant improve on Maeda.
Why Orjasaeter could possibly be an improve on Maeda
Orjasaeter’s kind within the 2024 Eliteserien season for his membership means that the potential is there for him to return in and provide greater than the present Hoops man on the high finish of the pitch.
The 21-year-old gem spent the 2023 season within the second tier with Sogndal and produced six goals and four assists in 30 appearances, together with a staggering 6.4 completed dribbles per sport.
That spectacular kind earned him a transfer to Sarpsborg within the January switch window at the beginning of this 12 months, and he hit the bottom working within the Norwegian top-flight.
In 2024, Orjasaeter racked up five goals, five assists, and 12 ‘large possibilities’ created in 28 league appearances in his debut season with the membership, which reveals that he’s a productive winger who could make the distinction within the last third as each a scorer and a creator of targets.
|
Stats |
Orjasaeter (2024 Eliteserien) |
Maeda (23/24 Premiership) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
28 |
28 |
|
Targets |
5 |
6 |
|
Huge possibilities missed |
5 |
12 |
|
Assists |
5 |
3 |
|
Huge possibilities created |
12 |
5 |
|
Dribbles accomplished per sport |
2.4 |
1.1 |
As you’ll be able to see within the desk above, the Norway U21 worldwide has the potential to supply greater than Maeda as an attacking power, with extra ‘large possibilities’ created, extra assists, and a greater ratio of targets to ‘large possibilities’ missed.
Orjasaeter, regardless of his inexperience, additionally affords lots to the group out of possession, with 4.2 ball recoveries per game – in comparison with Maeda’s 2.9 per match final time period and 1.9 per sport this season.
This means that the thrilling teen places the exhausting work in off the ball to assist his group out defensively, which implies that he might slot in completely on the left flank for Celtic – as he’s a well-rounded attacker who gives high quality on either side of the sport.
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The Celtic midfielder was given a possibility to impress from the beginning.
Subsequently, Rodgers ought to push for the membership to signal the £5m-rated star in January, who has the potential to be a giant improve on Maeda if he can translate his performances over to Scottish soccer.
