Ipswich Town Sign Daizen Maeda from Celtic for Premier League Push

Ipswich Town have made a statement for their Premier League return, prising Japan forward Daizen Maeda from Celtic on a three-year deal worth a reported £10m.

At 28, Maeda arrives at Portman Road with a bulging medal collection and a reputation forged on relentlessness. He leaves Glasgow with 79 goals in 212 appearances, five league titles, three Scottish Cups and two League Cups to his name. A serial winner, now dropped into a club desperate to prove it belongs back among the elite.

For Maeda, this move is the realisation of a long-held ambition. He has spoken of dreaming about the Premier League and now steps into it with a promoted side built on energy, aggression and togetherness. It feels a natural fit.

O’Neil’s first marquee forward

Gary O'Neil, appointed in the summer after Kieran McKenna’s departure, has wasted no time reshaping Ipswich in his own image. Maeda is the headline act in that rebuild.

O’Neil has been clear about what he sees in his new forward: an indefatigable runner with the physical profile to survive – and thrive – in England’s top flight, and a player who has already proved he can deliver in a high-pressure environment.

“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, underlining exactly why Ipswich were prepared to invest.

For a club stepping up from the Championship, that blend of work-rate and end product is gold. Ipswich pressed their way out of the second tier; Maeda presses like few others in Europe. The fit is obvious.

From J-League gamble to Celtic mainstay

When Maeda first walked into Celtic Park in late 2022, arriving from Yokohama F Marinos initially on loan in the early days of Ange Postecoglou’s tenure, he was a curiosity rather than a certainty. A fast, direct J-League attacker, unproven in Europe.

He did not stay unknown for long.

His pace, his willingness to chase lost causes, his ability to stretch defences – they all turned him into a vital cog in a Celtic side that dominated domestically. Over four and a half years, he became one of the defining faces of a relentless era.

The 2025-26 season cemented his place in Celtic folklore. With Kyogo Furuhashi not adequately replaced through the middle, the responsibility shifted to Maeda. He carried it.

For a time, it looked like the gamble might backfire. One goal in 18 games, Celtic slipping behind Hearts in the title race, questions swirling. Then the switch flicked.

Seven goals in five Premiership matches. Two of them winners. A title race turned on its head by a forward who refused to fade.

The defining moment came on the final day. Celtic and Hearts locked at 1-1, tension thick around Celtic Park, the championship teetering. On 87 minutes, Maeda surged, found his angle, and drilled beyond Alexander Schwolow. The stadium erupted; the title was theirs. That goal will live with Celtic supporters for a generation.

He signed off in fitting style, too, opening the scoring in a comfortable Scottish Cup final win over Dunfermline Athletic in what proved to be his last appearance for the club.

A goodbye steeped in gratitude

Maeda’s departure has been framed in Glasgow not as a betrayal, but as a deserved next step.

In a message to the “Celtic family” on social media, he described the last four and a half years as the most special chapter of his career and his life, speaking of the honour of wearing the badge and of the bond with team-mates, staff and supporters. He thanked fans for standing by him through highs and lows.

Celtic’s own statement echoed that sentiment, calling out his “relentless energy and vital goals” and acknowledging his status as a firm favourite. There was no bitterness, only appreciation and a wish for success at Ipswich Town.

Ipswich’s new edge

For Ipswich, this is more than a signing; it is a signal. The Tractor Boys, promoted after finishing second in the Championship under McKenna, are not content just to make up the numbers.

The club has moved decisively in the market. Maeda joins defender Issa Diop, winger Abdul Fatawu, striker Emersonn and goalkeeper Kayne van Oevelen as new arrivals. Cedric Kipre and Chuba Akpom, both influential on loan last season, have been tied down permanently.

Maeda, though, brings something unique. He arrives as a current Japan international who featured at the 2026 World Cup, helping his country into the last 32 before elimination by Brazil. He brings big-game experience, a ferocious engine, and a track record of delivering when the stakes spike.

He has already set his own standards: battle hard, score goals, provide assists, run and give everything. That mantra mirrors the ethos that dragged Ipswich back to the top flight.

Now comes the real test. Can that relentless Celtic forward, so often the difference in Glasgow, become the spark that keeps Ipswich in the Premier League – and maybe, just maybe, pushes them beyond survival?