Ipswich Land Celtic’s Japan Star in £10m Deal

Ipswich Town have completed one of the more eye-catching signings of their Premier League preparations, confirming the arrival of Japan international Daizen Maeda from Scottish champions Celtic. The move has been in the works for days and is now officially done. Here’s everything you need to know about the deal.

The Deal

Maeda joins Ipswich in a reported £10m transfer, a fee that reportedly includes around £2m in performance-related add-ons. The move runs through the summer of 2029, giving Ipswich several years to build around the 28-year-old as they prepare for a return to the Premier League after finishing second in the Championship last season.

He becomes the club’s fifth signing of the summer window and, notably, Ipswich’s first-ever Japanese player, joining a rebuilt squad already featuring new arrivals such as Issa Diop, Emerson, and Chuba Akpom.

Who Ipswich Are Getting

Maeda leaves Celtic with a genuinely impressive record behind him: 79 goals and 39 assists across 212 appearances since arriving at the club in January 2021. That output helped Celtic to ten major trophies during his time in Glasgow, including five Scottish Premiership titles, and only club legends James Tavernier and Lawrence Shankland have directly contributed to more goals in the Scottish top flight than Maeda since his debut.

His best individual campaign came in 2024-25, when he scored 33 goals and picked up the PFA Scotland Players’ Player of the Year award. Primarily a left-sided forward, Maeda is comfortable across the front line and has built a reputation in Scotland as a relentless, high-work-rate attacker as much as a natural goalscorer.

A World Cup Summer Before a New Chapter

The move comes on the back of a big summer for Maeda on the international stage. He started three of Japan’s four matches at the 2026 World Cup, scoring in a 1-1 draw with Sweden before Japan’s run ended against Brazil. It capped a second World Cup appearance for the forward, having previously featured for Japan at the 2022 tournament in Qatar, where he scored against Croatia in the Round of 16.

Speaking after the move was confirmed, Maeda said he had always dreamed of playing in the Premier League and was proud to be doing so with Ipswich.

What Ipswich Manager Gary O’Neil Gets

For Gary O’Neil, Maeda’s arrival adds proven end product and physical intensity to a forward line being rebuilt for Premier League football. O’Neil praised the forward’s work ethic and goalscoring pedigree from his time in Scotland, and with Ipswich needing to hit the ground running against stronger opposition than they faced in the Championship, a player with Maeda’s finishing record and World Cup experience is a significant statement of intent.

What to Watch Next

• Squad number and debut timing, likely to come in one of Ipswich’s remaining preseason fixtures before the August 22 season opener.
• Where he lines up, given his versatility across the front three under O’Neil’s system.
• Further incoming business, with Ipswich reportedly working on additional signings as their preseason rebuild continues.