TOTTENHAM LOOKS TO SIGN £25M ACE

POSTECOGLOU ‘IMMENSAL’

Spurs are interested in re-united with former Celtic striker Daizen Maedo, but Spurs would have to pay around £25 million to do so. Of the three Japanese players who led Celtic to three successive Scottish Premiership triumphs under the Australian coach, Maeda is perhaps the least well-known. He doesn’t have the lightning-fast pace of Hatate or the ruthlessness of Furuhashi, though.

While Maeda has had his fair share of detractors over the years, the relentless work ethic and speed of play that earned him the admiration of Ange postecoglou could lead to a reunion between a player and coach across Hadrian’s Wall.

According to TEAMtalk, Spurs are in talks with Maeda and are looking to ‘explore the terms’ of a move. Celtic are expected to ask for a fee of around £25m, having sold Jota to Alitihad for the same amount in the summer. Maeda is a highly-rated player, having worked under Spurs boss Ange postecoglou when he was at home in Japan with Yokohama FF Marinos. The 26-year-old can play as a centre-forward, but is most effective out-wide on the left, where he can support his full-backs and use his lightning pace to his advantage.

While there are still doubts about his finishing – he often lacks the clinical finishing touch – his 11 goals and 7 assists in the 2022/23 season speak for themselves. “How many runs does he make in a game?” Postecoglou asked of Maeda, who he described as an ‘immense’ talent. “There were a few times when he lacked a little bit of composure, but he’s always there and he’s putting in a lot of effort. That’s why he scores goals.”

I’ve known him for a long time and sometimes people say he’s lucky, but that’s because he works so hard when we’ve got the ball and he gets rewarded for it. At Spurs, Maeda would bring more quality and flexibility to a backline that already includes Richarlison, Son, Johnson, Solomon and Dejan, as well as teenage starlet Alejo Veliz.