Celtic winger Daizen Maeda has confirmed that he was still trying to orchestrate a move away from Glasgow right up until the final day of the transfer window – but Celtic blocked the move when they could not source a replacement for the Japanese internationalist.
Maeda had been linked with a move to Brentford this summer and while he would not confirm that was the club in question, he told reporters in his homeland that Japan had given him permission to delay his arrival to this week’s international camp as he tried to get the deal over the line.
With personal terms agreed, he was on the cusp of the move only for it to fall down as Celtic toiled to get deals down for new arrivals. It has been a source of intense frustration this summer for fans while Brendan Rodgers has also been vocal about the failure to get players into the club.
“I had an offer,” said Maeda. “I had consistently communicated to the club that I wanted to take the next step in my career. However, Celtic couldn’t secure a replacement, so they ultimately told me they couldn’t let me go.
“Personally, I had agreed, so I felt like I wanted to take on the challenge. The national team also delayed my call-up, and I really asked Celtic to let me stay until the very last day, but it didn’t work out.
“Since I’ve decided to stay at Celtic, I want to work hard for the team.”
