Celtic attacker Daenen Maeda did not enjoy his best game at the top end of the pitch during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.
According to SofaScore, Japan finished the game with zero shots on target and no chances for Martin O’Neill’s side, demonstrating a complete lack of impact in the final third.
Maeda was also too sloppy in his overall play on the ball, completing just 63% of the passes he attempted, but it could be interesting to see how his situation develops in the team if Celtic add more quality to their attacking line.
He currently has one goal in his last eight appearances for the Scottish giants, but has only scored eight goals in 33 games this season.
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The club are reportedly looking for further reinforcements before the market closes and have been told how much it would cost to sign a player who could be an upgrade to Maeda, one of their reported targets.
Celtic are said to be interested in Motherwell centre-forward Tawanda Maswanhise. It was reported earlier this month that he was more likely to join the club than fellow transfer candidate Kieron Bowie.
Now, journalist Pete O’Rourke has suggested that it could cost more than £4 million to secure the Zimbabwean international before the end of the January transfer window.
O’Rourke told Football Insider: “He is one of the outstanding players in the league and it is no surprise that the likes of Rangers and Celtic have been linked with Maswanhuyth.
“He came to Motherwell out of nowhere and has really taken the league by storm and has built a reputation for himself. They’re probably looking for £4m plus a transfer fee for this player. In the current market, that’s about the going rate for a winger who can also play up front.”
Why Celtic have to pay £4m to sign Maswanhise
With this in mind, the reigning Scottish Premiership champions would have to pay around the £4m required to sign the 23-year-old star, who could be acquired as an upgrade to Maeda.
Like his Japanese counterpart, Maswanhise is a versatile forward who can play centrally as a number 9 or on the wings, but he has shown better qualities than any Celtic player in the league this season.
The former Leicester City youngster added another goal to his tally for the league season with his goal in Motherwell’s 4-0 win over Kilmarnock on Saturday, taking his tally to 11 in the league and 16 in all competitions.
Maswanhise, described by analyst Kai Watson as “on fire”, is perhaps the best attacker in the Scottish top flight this season, as evidenced by his impressive statistics so far.
25/26 Premiership | Maswan Hise | league rank |
|---|---|---|
shot | 42 | 12th |
shot on target | twenty two | 3rd place |
the goal | 11 | 1st place |
goal in the box | 11 | 1st place |
offside | 14 | 1st place |
Statistics by Sofascore | ||
As you can see from the table above, the Motherwell star is the league’s top scorer despite not ranking in the top 10 for overall shots. This shows how incredibly efficient he is in front of goal.
According to FotMob, Maswanhise has scored 11 goals in the Premiership so far with an xG of 6.27. This means he was relentless in the final third, rarely missing any good opportunities to find the back of the net, but the same cannot be said for Maeda.
According to FotMob, Maeda has scored 7 goals in the league for the Hoops with an xG of 9.42. So he goes from 2 xG more goals to 4 fewer goals than Maswanhise.
These statistics show a huge difference in the quality of finishing between the two versatile forwards playing in the same league, which is why the £4m-rated star could arrive at Parkhead as a big upgrade to O’Neill.
Maswanhise has a proven track record in the Premiership, proving he can be prolific, efficient and consistent in front of goal this season, while Maeda has been inconsistent and inefficient in the final third.
That’s why the Scottish giants must shell out the necessary funds to sign the 23-year-old sensation before the end of the January transfer window. Because he could be a tremendous addition to the team.
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They responded.
