Ipswich Town Sign Daizen Maeda from Celtic on Three-Year Deal
Ipswich Town have made a statement signing, prising Japan forward Daizen Maeda from Celtic on a three-year deal as they gear up for life back in the Premier League.
The 28-year-old arrives for a reported £10m fee, a player at the peak of his powers and fresh from helping Japan reach the last 32 of the 2026 World Cup before their exit to Brazil. For a newly promoted side, this is a bold move. For Maeda, it is the fulfilment of a long-held ambition.
“I have always dreamed of playing in the Premier League and I am very happy I can realise that dream with this club,” he told Ipswich’s website. He spoke of feeling “very welcome” already and laid out a simple plan: battle, goals, assists, and an unrelenting work rate. Anyone who watched him in Scotland knows that is not empty talk.
From unknown J-League flyer to Celtic mainstay
When Maeda first landed in Glasgow from Yokohama F Marinos in late December 2022, initially on loan, he was a curiosity more than a headline act. Ange Postecoglou’s early Celtic rebuild was in motion, and Maeda looked like a high-energy option rather than a future cornerstone.
He became far more than that.
Across 212 appearances, Maeda scored 79 goals and collected a haul that would satisfy most players’ entire careers: five league titles, three Scottish Cups and two League Cups. His pace and relentless pressing turned him into a manager’s dream and a defender’s nightmare.
Yet it was the 2025-26 season that truly defined his Celtic story.
With Celtic failing to adequately replace Kyogo Furuhashi through the middle, Maeda was asked to shoulder the responsibility as central striker for almost the entire campaign. At first, it looked a step too far. He managed just one goal in 18 games, Celtic slipped to second, and Hearts held the advantage in the title race.
Then everything changed.
A season flipped on its head
The pressure that had been building finally found its outlet. Maeda exploded back into form, scoring seven goals in five Premiership matches, two of them decisive winners. The timing could not have been sharper; the title race swung back towards Celtic just when they needed a hero.
The defining moment came on the final day at Celtic Park. Hearts were in town, the title on the line, the score locked at 1-1 and nerves fraying in the stands. On 87 minutes, Maeda burst clear and drilled his shot beyond Alexander Schwolow. The stadium erupted. That goal will live long in the memory, the strike that dragged a faltering season into folklore.
He was not done. In his final outing for the club, the Scottish Cup final against Dunfermline Athletic, Maeda opened the scoring in a comfortable win, signing off at Hampden with another goal and another trophy.
Celtic’s official statement captured the mood. His “relentless energy and vital goals” had made him an essential part of the side and a firm favourite with supporters. The club thanked him for his contribution and wished him well as he heads to “pastures new” at Ipswich Town.
Maeda himself, in a message to the “Celtic family”, called the last four and a half years “the most special chapter” of his career and life, describing the honour of wearing the badge and playing in front of what he called “the best supporters in the world”. He left them with a final note of gratitude: “Thank you for standing by me through every high and low.”
Ipswich’s intent under O’Neil
For Ipswich, newly promoted after finishing second in the Championship under Kieran McKenna, this is more than a signing. It is a signal.
Gary O’Neil, who stepped in at Portman Road in the summer following McKenna’s departure, now has a forward whose game is built on intensity. “He works extremely hard and has impressive physical attributes, while also proving over a number of years playing in Scotland that he has the ability to score goals and create for his team,” O’Neil said.
Maeda joins a squad being rapidly reshaped for the top flight. Defender Issa Diop, winger Abdul Fatawu, striker Emersonn and goalkeeper Kayne van Oevelen have all arrived. Cedric Kipre and Chuba Akpom have turned successful loans into permanent stays.
The pattern is clear: athleticism, aggression, depth. Maeda fits that blueprint perfectly, bringing Champions League experience, domestic titles and the mentality forged in tight title run-ins and cup finals.
He comes to Suffolk as a proven winner, but also as a player with something still to prove — that his game translates to the pace, power and scrutiny of the Premier League.
Ipswich have given him the stage he always wanted. Now the question is simple: can the man who lit up Celtic Park become the spark that keeps the Tractor Boys in England’s top tier?
