Celtic's Daizen Maeda wins SFWA award but in no rush for new deal
Daizen Maeda has been named the Scottish Football Writers' Association Player of the Year and then revealed he will take his time to weigh up whether to sign a contract extension at Celtic.
Maeda scooped the SFWA honour after an outstanding campaign in which he has already scored 33 goals including four in the Champions League and three in Old Firm games.
He is top of the Premiership list for assists, too, with ten for the season. Maeda has stepped up in terms of goalscoring since his fellow Japanese international, Kyogo Furuhashi, left for Rennes in February.
Although he still has two years left on his existing deal, Celtic are eager to extend the 27-year-old's contract. Maeda sounded in no rush to do that, though,
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
26 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: Trent Alexander Arnold's new shirt number at Real Madrid ahead of Club World Cup after controversial Liverpool exit
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been handed his new shirt number at Real Madrid ahead of the Club World Cup. The right back is in line to make his debut for the Spanish giants next Wednesday when they face Al-Hilal in their first group game after Real paid Liverpool £10m to release him from his contract early so he could play in the tournament. Alexander-Arnold wore the No 66 shirt at Liverpool, but this will not be an option at Real due to LaLiga rules stating that shirt numbers must fall between 1 and 25. It has now been confirmed that Alexander-Arnold will wear the No 12 shirt at his new club. The name on the back of his shirt will also change and now read 'Trent' rather than 'Alexander-Arnold'. The 26-year-old is due to be unveiled as a Madrid player on Thursday before the team jet off to the US to compete in the group stage where they are scheduled to face Al-Hilal, Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg. It will be Alexander-Arnold's first chance to impress new manager Xabi Alonso, with the Spaniard taking over from Carlo Ancelotti. 🚨🏴 OFFICIAL: Trent Alexander-Arnold will wear number 12 at Real Madrid. — Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) June 11, 2025 🚨🏆 Real Madrid's squad list for the Club World Cup + official shirt numbers of the players. — Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) June 11, 2025 Fans will be eager to see how Alexander-Arnold settles at Madrid following his controversial Liverpool exit. Alexander-Arnold opted to run down his contract to leave his boyhood club on a free transfer at the end of the season, leading to an angry response from some Liverpool fans. After announcing his decision to leave in early May, Alexander-Arnold was booed by his own supporters when he came off the bench during a 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Anfield. A number of his team-mates and Arne Slot leapt to his defence after that game as they asked fans to remember his previous years of service. The England international did not feature in Liverpool's next game - a 3-2 away defeat by Brighton - but did come on as a half-time substitute on the final day against Crystal Palace. On that occasion, he received a much better reception from supporters, and he was then cheered by most fans when he went up to collect his medal during the post-match presentation as Liverpool lifted the Premier League trophy. Alexander-Arnold broke down in tears as he did a lap of honour to thank fans after the presentation, and he was seen crying again during Liverpool's open-top bus parade the following day. But he has never left Merseyside behind for a new life in the Spanish capital, and he is just days away from making his debut for Real in his No 12 jersey.
Daily Record
31 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Russell Martin can conjure Rangers winning formula if he's learned one thing from Southampton insists Steven Davis
Davis watched Martin's tenure at his other former club Southampton closely and hopes boss has learned from failed experiement Steven Davis is confident Russell Martin can come up with a winning formula at Ibrox - so long as he learns from his failed Premier League experiment. The former Southampton boss is back for another crack at management six months after being sacked by Saints. The bold passing philosophy that swept the South Coast outfit to promotion to the English top flight was quickly torn apart by their merciless rivals. A savage run of defeats cost Martin his job but ex-Gers skipper Davis is certain the new Ibrox gaffer will have learned his lessons. Davis - a four-time league himself winner at Ibrox - said: "I'm very hopeful Russell will be successful. Ultimately, that's what we all want, a successful Rangers competing for trophies and winning regularly. Hopefully Russel and his staff can bring that to the club. 'He's obviously very straightforward in terms of how he wants to work. 'He's got a philosophy and a culture that he wants to implement. I think that'd be a good thing. 'I've watched quite a few Southampton games when he was manager there. 'They obviously did really well in the Championship, maybe not quite so well in Premier League, but he's learned from those experiences. 'He'll be in a better position going into the job at Ibrox, so I'm very hopeful that he can be successful.' Martin has a huge job overhauling an Ibrox squad that proved to be miles off the Premiership pace last term. The former MK Dons and Swansea manager has insisted his team will put up a better fight than the one which crawled home a massive 17 points behind Brendan Rodgers' swaggering Celtic. He stopped short, however, of making a title declaration as he gave a nod to the scale of the task awaiting him. Davis reckons the Ibrox legions will understand how big a job the new boss faces - but warned that patience will only last so long. He grinned: 'Unfortunately patience isn't a word used in Glasgow! 'I think everybody going into their roles will know the demands that are going to be on the players and the club to try and get that success as soon as possible. 'I think they're capable of doing it. Celtic have been pretty strong in the last few years, but I don't think that the gap should have been what it was anyway. 'Rangers have shown in the Old Firm games last season that they can compete — but it's getting that consistency. 'Hopefully they can start the season well. It's such a big thing, the psychology and the freedom within the group, as soon as you start to get that confidence and belief in the tea then it can take you far. "The expectancy will be for Rangers to dominate the ball in the majority of games in the league. 'But it's what you do with that possession, and that'll be his focus in terms of how he can get into areas where the team can create chances to score - but also with having that balance of the defensive side of things as well. 'All the experiences Russell has gained in his short managerial career will benefit him — you're always better for the experience you have, good or bad. "You learn from it, and you adapt as you go along, and you try to become better.' Davis has tasted the sedate life Martin enjoyed at Southampton during his own six-and-a-half year stint at St Mary's. But that was nothing like the madness he faced during two spells in Glasgow. Martin had a brief taste of that frenzied working atmosphere himself during a four-month stint as a Rangers defender - and Davis reckons that will do him the world of good as he gets his feet under the table. 'The pressures are much more in this city,' he said. 'When you go to Rangers, you have to embrace that side of things. If you don't it can swallow you up. 'But Russell knows what he's stepping into. He's got that short-term experience that he's had at the club, and that'll really benefit him going into the job. 'It's very hard to speak about Rangers and Celtic until you actually experience it yourself. 'Thankfully, Russell's got that experience. He only had it for a short period but he's had that experience and he can bring that knowledge with him, which is positive.' :: Davis was speaking as he helped promote 10 Years On - a celebratory event taking place at Belfast's Ulster Hall on May 2, 2026, marking next year's anniversary of Northern Ireland's Euro 2016 campaign. For tickets go to
Daily Record
31 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Lennon Miller cool on Celtic transfer interest as Sunderland join hunt for Motherwell sensation
The starlet is into the final 12 months of his contract at Fir Park and is not short of suitors Scotland new boy Lennon Miller has insisted his focus is more on pre-season with Motherwell than speculation over his future. Celtic are keeping close tabs on Miller's situation and were in contact with the Fir Park board in the last window. The talented teenager has also been linked with a list of European clubs including Eintracht Frankfurt and Royal Union St Gilloise. And English Premier League new boys Sunderland are also monitoring the playmaker's situation. All-action midfielder Miller is into the final year of contract with the Lanarkshire side. Michael Wimmer, before he left the Fir Park hot seat, predicted Miller would be sold this summer but the player is still in the dark over his future. He said: 'You never know. "I've got a year left on my contract so my focus is to go back into pre-season, work as hard as I can and get ready for the season. 'You get these big clubs mentioned, but it is only speculation. 'You just need to try and focus on what you're doing and that will all take care of itself.' The Steelman have already turfed out bids from Udinese and Gilloise. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also on WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
