Worth more than Maeda: Celtic hit gold with a star whose value soared £5.5m

The January transfer window officially slammed shut on Monday night last week and Celtic ended it with two new additions to their first-team squad.

Brendan Rodgers swooped to sign Ghana international Jeffrey Schlupp on loan from Premier League side Crystal Palace to provide cover at left-back, and he started in the 5-0 win over Raith Rovers on Saturday.

The Hoops had already brought Jota back to the club on a permanent deal from Rennes earlier in the window, 18 months on from his move to Al-Ittihad from the Scottish giants.

Celtic’s Portuguese whiz may have a fight on his hands to secure a place in the starting line-up during the second half of the season, though, due to the form of Daizen Maeda and Nicolas Kuhn.

Kuhn has racked up 17 goals and 12 assists in 34 appearances in all competitions for the Glasgow giants this term on the right flank, which has nailed down his position in the XI for now.

Meanwhile, Maeda has stepped up this season and improved his output at the top end of the pitch, to make himself a key figure in the Celtic attack.

Daizen Maeda’s form this season

The Japan international managed ten goals and four assists in 36 appearances in all competitions under Rodgers for the Hoops in the 2023/24 campaign.

We are only in February of the following season and the 27-year-old forward has already surpassed his tally of both goals and assists in the current season, with a return of 21 goals and eight assists in all competitions.

Maeda hit the 20-goal mark with his hat-trick against Raith Rovers in the SFA Cup fifth round on Saturday, as he lined up as a centre-forward to hand Adam Idah a well-earned rest.

The Japanese attacker has, now, produced an extraordinary ten goals and one assist in five domestic cup matches for the Scottish giants this term, including four in two SFA Cup outings.

Despite his exceptional goal return for the season as a whole, Maeda’s finishing skills in the Scottish Premiership have left a little bit to be desired.

As you can see in the table above, the experienced forward has missed a whopping 14 ‘big chances’, and scored eight, in the top-flight so far this term, which suggests that he could, still, improve as a finisher in the division.

Overall, however, it is hard to argue with his output across all competitions, with 21 goals at this stage of the season, and Rodgers will surely be delighted with the bulk of his performances in a Celtic shirt.

Maeda is in the prime years of his career, now, and is currently valued at €8m (£6.6m) by Transfermarkt, which makes him one of the most valuable players in the squad at this moment in time.

Celtic’s most-valuable players

The Japanese marksman, despite all of his goals and assists this season, is not the most valuable player at Parkhead, though, as Cameron Carter-Vickers is valued at £11.6m by Transfermarkt.

Celtic’s American colossus, who has helped the team to 12 clean sheets in 19 Premiership appearances this term, has been a consistent presence at the heart of the defence and is a crucial member of the squad.

As you can see in the table above, his performances have led to him being valued above all of his current teammates, including the likes of Arne Engels, Nicolas Kuhn, and, of course, Maeda.

Celtic, however, sold a player in January who would have been the second-most valuable player in the squad and worth more than Maeda, as they decided to cash in on Kyogo Furuhashi.

Celtic struck gold with Kyogo Furuhashi

Back in the summer of 2021, Ange Postecoglou swooped to sign the Japan international from Vissel Kobe for a reported fee of £4.5m, which turned out to be an incredible piece of business.

Kyogo racked up 20 goals and five assists in 33 appearances in all competitions during his debut campaign with the Scottish giants, competing with Giorgos Giakoumakis for a place in the starting line-up.

The Japanese marksman then hit his full stride in a Hoops shirt in the 2022/23 campaign under the Australian head coach, with a staggering return of 34 goals and five assists in 50 matches.

Postecoglou’s exit from Celtic in the summer of 2023 seemingly affected Kyogo’s output, however, as the forward only managed 19 goals and five assists in 50 matches in his first season with Rodgers at the helm.

The 30-year-old attacker then racked up 12 goals and four assists in 32 appearances for the Scottish giants in the first half of the current campaign before his permanent move to Rennes.

As you can see in the table above, Kyogo was wasteful in front of goal in the Premiership this season, missing a staggering 17 ‘big chances’ on his way to ten goals, and that may have been why the Hoops were open to allowing him to leave.

Rennes swooped in to secure his services for a reported fee of £10m last month, which is a valuation that is only bettered by Carter-Vickers in the current squad and one that is higher than Maeda’s current market value, despite his 21 goals this season.

Kyogo’s value soared by £5.5m during his time with the Hoops, from the £4.5m they signed him for to the £10m Rennes paid for him, and this shows that Postecoglou hit the jackpot by signing him from Vissel Kobe.

Celtic enjoyed his talents in front of goal for several years and still managed to make a significant profit on a player who entered his 30s this year, which is why it was a sublime bit of business to bring him to the club back in 2021.