da bet sport： Celtic attacker Daizen Maeda did not enjoy his best match at the top end of the pitch in the 2-2 draw with Hearts in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

da luck： The Japan international ended the game with no shots on target and no chances created for Martin O’Neill’s side, per Sofascore, which illustrates his complete lack of impact in the final third.

Maeda was also too sloppy with his general play on the ball, completing just 63% of his attempted passes, and it could be interesting to see what his situation in the team is if Celtic add more quality to their attacking ranks.

He has now scored one goal in his last eight appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, and has only scored eight goals in 33 games this season.

Celtic told how much it could take to sign SPFL star

The club are reportedly in the market for further reinforcements before the window slams shut, and they have been told how much it may cost to sign one of their reported targets, who could be an upgrade on Maeda.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Celtic have been linked with an interest in Motherwell centre-forward Tawanda Maswanhise. It was reported earlier this month that he is more likely to join the club than fellow transfer target Kieron Bowie.

Now, journalist Pete O’Rourke has suggested that it could take upwards of £4m to secure the services of the Zimbabwe international before the end of the January transfer window.

O’Rourke told Football Insider: “He’s been one of the standout players in the league, so it’s no surprise that the likes of Rangers and Celtic have been linked with Maswanhise.

“He’s come from nowhere at Motherwell, really taking the league by storm and enhancing his reputation. They’ll be looking for £4million plus, probably, for the player. In the current market, that would be the going rate for the winger, who can also play up front.”

Why Celtic must pay £4m to sign Maswanhise

With this in mind, the reigning Scottish Premiership champions must pay the £4m or so that it will take to sign the 23-year-old star because he could arrive as an upgrade on Maeda.

Like the Japan international, Maswanhise is a versatile forward who can play through the middle as a number nine or out on the flank, yet he has shown more quality in the league this season than the Celtic man.

The former Leicester City youngster added another goal to his tally for the league season with a strike in the 4-0 win over Kilmarnock for Motherwell on Saturday, taking his total to 11 goals in the league and 16 in all competitions.

Maswanhise, who analyst Kai Watson claimed is “on fire”, has arguably been the best attacker in the Scottish top-flight this season, as evidenced by his impressive statistics to this point.

25/26 Premiership

Maswanhise

League rank

Shots

42

12th

Shots on target

22

3rd

Goals

11

1st

Goals inside the box

11

1st

Offsides

14

1st

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Motherwell star is the top goalscorer in the league, despite not ranking within the top ten for shots taken overall. This speaks to how incredibly efficient he is in front of goal.

To that point, per FotMob, Maswanhise has scored 11 goals from an xG of 6.27 in the Premiership. This means that he has been ruthless in the final third, rarely passing up a good opportunity to find the back of the net, and the same cannot be said for Maeda.

Per FotMob, Maeda has scored seven goals from an xG of 9.42 in the league for the Hoops. He has, therefore, scored four fewer goals from more than two xG more than Maswanhise.

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These statistics point to a significant difference in finishing quality between the two versatile forwards, who both play in the same league, which is why the £4m-rated star could arrive at Parkhead as a big upgrade for O’Neill.

Maswanhise is a proven Premiership performer who has shown that he can be prolific, efficient, and consistent in front of goal this season, whilst Maeda has been inconsistent and inefficient in the final third.

That is why the Scottish giants must pay the money required to land the 23-year-old sensation before the end of the January transfer window, because he could be a phenomenal addition to the squad.

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