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Former Celtic star Aiden McGeady has warned his old club to 'be careful' as they prepare to sell one of their most dangerous attacking players. The Bhoys are nearing the £10million sale of Daizen Maeda, who is to realise his Premier League dream by joining Ipswich Town.
Maeda has spoken on more than one occasion about wanting to play in the English top flight, and newly promoted Ipswich are set to offer him that opportunity, agreeing a deal in principle with the Bhoys.
Celtic have been left with little choice but to sell, given Maeda did not want to stay and the fact he is in the final year of his contract. For the Bhoys, it's a case of getting what they can this summer to avoid having an unhappy player and a free departure on their hands next summer.
But that doesn't mean the departure is a good thing for Martin O'Neill and his squad.
McGeady's Celtic warning
Former Hoop McGeady is concerned about Celtic not replacing Maeda this summer when the Japanese international departs.
"It would make a massive impact. In previous years, Celtic have been known for selling players for profit," he told FootballFanCast. "Celtic have got an amazing model, they have had for a number of years, but too often it’s been a case where they let players go without bringing replacements in.
“We’ve seen that when they let Adam Idah go and they never had a replacement in. So I think Celtic need to be careful this season with what they do. I think losing Maeda was inevitable at some point. It’s going to happen because Celtic’s model is a selling club. They bring players in, they develop them on, they give them a platform to win things, but they will move on.”
Those concerns are certainly valid, especially when you consider Celtic have only made one new signing so far this summer. That's despite the fact they know they will lose Maeda and Arne Engels at a minimum, while Reo Hatate is also likely to depart.
It does look as though the Bhoys are closing in on a midfield signing in Mika Baur, but with less than two weeks to go until the new season, it does look as though there will be a number of holes that will not be filled on time. One of them is the hole left by Maeda, although Haissem Hassan looks to be a serious winger target.
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This article was originally published on thecelticbhoys.com as 'It's often the case' - Celtic hero sends warning over Daizen Maeda exit.
