Rodgers could land a major upgrade for Maeda in a Celtic deal for a £5million talent

Celtic He will head into 2025 at the top of Scottish Premier League table, just as they did in 2024, after a comfortable 4-0 win over Motherwell on Boxing Day.

Of course, the Hoops will enter next year at the top of the division regardless of their results on Thursday, because they have made a healthy run at the top of the division.

Brendan Rodgers“The side is huge 12 clear points Rangers are in second place and appear to be on their way to achieving a fourth consecutive league title.

Goals from Arne Engels, Daizen Maeda, Nicolas Kuhn and Reo Hatate secured all three points for the Hoops at Parkhead, while Kasper Schmeichel did not make a single save between the woodwork.

It was a dominant performance and a deserved victory for Celtic, who remain unbeaten in the Premier League after 17 matches, and Rodgers will certainly be pleased with his side's performance.

However, the January transfer window is just around the corner, and so is the Northern Irishman It is said in the market To add a left winger to the group, which could jeopardize Maeda's place.

Daizen Maeda's performance this season

The Japanese international scored his goal Third goal this season In the Premier League against Motherwell on Thursday, he headed from close range into an empty net in the second half.

He was far from an effective performer from the wing, as he did Wasted “two big chances” Before that, he lost four of his five ground encounters, showing that the striker was wasteful in front of goal and weak in battles with opposition players.

Unfortunately, profligacy at the top of the pitch has become a major theme for Maeda in the Premier League, as he has squandered nine “big chances” – scoring three times – On the 14th it starts In the department.

This shows that the 27-year-old striker has let his teammates down by failing to make the most of the quality opportunities they have consistently created for him in the Championship.

Maeda, who has He made three goals In 14 league starts, he has also failed to provide consistent quality at the top of the pitch in the Premier League in the 2023/24 season for the Scottish giants.

As you can see in the table above, the Japanese forward wasted twice as many 'big chances' as he was able to score goals, and rarely provided much in the way of creativity, creating one chance every other match on average.

It means Maeda has scored nine goals and missed 21 'big chances' in the Premier League since the start of last season, while failing to create many in that time, which is why there is potential for the Hoops to get an upgrade in his position.

Rodgers could find that promotion by pouncing on one of the club's reported transfer targets when the January transfer window opens for business next month.

Celtic interest in £5m forward

Earlier this month, Norwegian sports outlet Nettavisen I mentioned that Celtic is one of the teams Interested in pouncing For Sarpsborg striker Sondre Orjasaeter.

As we mentioned previously, Rodgers wants to sign him Another striker will come in from the left side and compete for a starting place in the team in the second half of the season, improving the depth of his options in that area of ​​the pitch.

Dinamo Sarpsborg is a right-footed left winger, like Maeda, and therefore, would fit the bill in terms of what the manager is looking for in the market next month.

It has not been reported how much the Norwegian side want for the 21-year-old star, and it remains to be seen whether the Hoops are prepared to make a formal bid for his services.

Norway's under-21 national team is It is currently valued at £5 million By Transfermarkt, and this may provide an insight into what kind of fee Sarpsborg will demand for his signature.

However, Rodgers should push to secure a deal to sign the exciting young talent in January, as he could come as a significant upgrade over Maeda.

Why Orjasaeter could be an upgrade over Maeda

Orjasaeter's form in his club's Eliteserien 2024 season suggests that the potential is there for him to come in and provide more than the current Hoops man at the top of the pitch.

The 21-year-old jewel spent the 2023 season in the second tier with Sogndal and produced Six goals and four assists In 30 games, besides amazing 6.4 Completed shuffles For every game.

This impressive form led to a move to Sarpsborg in the January transfer window at the start of this year, and he has enjoyed great success in the Norwegian Premier League.

In 2024, Orjasaeter achieves a major milestone Five goals and five assistsHe created 12 big chances in 28 league appearances in his first season with the club, demonstrating that he is a productive winger who can make a difference in the final third as both a scorer and goalscorer.

As you can see in the table above, the Norway Under-21 international has the potential to offer more than Maeda as an attacking force, with more 'big chances' created, more assists, and a better ratio of goals to 'big chances' missed.

Orjasaeter, despite his inexperience, also offers a lot for the team that does not have possession of the ball, with 4.2 ball recoveries per match – Compared to Maeda 2.9 per match last season and 1.9 per game this season.

This suggests that the exciting youngster works hard off the ball to help his team defend, meaning he could slot in perfectly on Celtic's left flank – as he is an all-rounder who provides quality on both flanks. From the game.

Therefore, Rodgers must push for the £5m star in January, who has the potential to be a major upgrade for Maida if he can translate his performances into Scottish football.