Just days after securing their seat at the top table, Ipswich Town have wasted no time in flexing their newly acquired financial muscle. GoalZaza unde...
Just days after securing their seat at the top table, Ipswich Town have wasted no time in flexing their newly acquired financial muscle. GoalZaza understands that the Suffolk side have opened initial dialogue with Celtic regarding the potential transfer of forward Daizen Maeda. It is a move that would bring a proven goal threat to Portman Road, but more importantly, it would inject a dose of relentless energy into a side that will need to scrap for every point next season.The Premier League is a unforgiving place for those who lack tactical flexibility, and Maeda offers exactly that. He can lead the line, operate from the left, and his work rate is so high it borders on the obsessive. For a side like Ipswich, who will likely spend significant periods defending deep and looking to hit on the break, his ability to stretch defences with searing pace and his clinical finishing in transitional moments could be a genuine weapon. The question, however, is whether Celtic would be willing to part with a player who has become a fan favourite and a crucial cog in their Champions League ambitions.Yet the narrative doesn't end there. GoalZaza has learned that the Scottish champions are already scanning the market for a contingency plan, with an Egyptian winger reportedly topping their shortlist. It is a classic piece of forward planning from the Celtic board. If Maeda goes, they will need someone who can replicate that relentless pressing and direct running, but perhaps offer a slightly different profile in the final third. The Egyptian market has proven bountiful for the Hoops in recent years, and this potential replacement could be a very shrewd bit of business indeed.For now, it is a game of chess. Ipswich want their man. Celtic want their price. And the player will surely fancy a crack at the world's most competitive league. The coming weeks will tell us whether Maeda will be bombing down the touchline at Old Trafford or roaring into the Celtic end at Parkhead next season. One thing is for certain: this is a transfer saga with plenty of running still to go.
