Daizen Maeda went public with his desire to leave Celtic in September.
After the best season of his career, Brendan Rodgers was understandably reluctant to lose him, with Nicolas Kuhn having departed the club in early July.
But when Maeda made the bombshell revelation of his desired move not being facilitated, it didn’t reflect well on the club.
The 28-year-old is one of the hardest-working players around, and there can be little debate about his dedication and professionalism, but he is reportedly expecting to leave Glasgow in January.
And it is being claimed that there are a host of clubs in the race.
Celtic’s Daizen Maeda draws interest from Everton and other Premier League clubs
Maeda scored 33 goals last season, establishing himself as Rodgers’ main attacker.
But we know that he contributes much more than just goals – his sprinting capacity is unique among footballers.
READ MORE: What Derek Rae has heard about Wilfried Nancy’s reputation among colleagues amid Celtic interest
Daizen Maeda of Celtic during the UEFA Champions League Play-offs Round First Leg match between Celtic and Kairat Almaty at Celtic Park
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
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According to TEAMTalk, this had piqued the interest of five Premier League clubs.
These include Everton, who could do with a striker or a left-winger to allow Jack Grealish to operate in a more central role.
Struggling Wolves are also credited with an interest, having recently completed the appointment of Rob Edwards in place of Vitor Pereira.
Leeds have been linked with Maeda before, as have Brentford. Both clubs play a high-energy brand of football that the report claims has led them to Maeda.
West Ham are the fifth interested club. Maeda could be spoilt for choice for January – the Hoops just need to focus on sorting out a replacement, something they have clearly struggled with before.
Maeda had reportedly cleared his belongings from Lennoxtown in the summer, in anticipation of a potential move to Germany.
With Wilfried Nancy seemingly coming in, Celtic could do with Maeda for a little longer.
Celtic’s current exports in the Premier League
Should Maeda go to Brentford, he would join Kristoffer Ajer at the Bees. The Norwegian, like Maeda, was named Player of the Year by Celtic before pursuing a move elsewhere.
Ryan Christie has been a revelation for Bournemouth under Andoni Iraola, having initially joined them in the Championship under Scott Parker.
Matt O’Riley joined Brighton last summer, but joined Marseille on loan a year later, with manager Fabian Hurzeler facilitating the move despite starting O’Riley in his first three games of the season.
Given the riches of the Premier League, it will be interesting to see the money that Celtic can get for a 28-year-old player commanding such widespread interest. Whether they actually spend it is another thing.