Martin O’Neill don talk say e dey sure say Kasper Hogh fit fill Daizen Maeda shoes for Celtic as di club-record move dey near finish. Celtic dey move quick to sign Bodo/Glimt striker Hogh after dia 2-2 draw with AC Milan for di last pre-season friendly, where new signing Camilo Duran impress.
Di draw come just hours afta Daizen Maeda, who score 17 goals for all competitions last season, complete £10m move to Premier League side Ipswich Town. But Celtic don act fast to find Maeda replacement, wit di Scottish Premiership giants reportedly agreeing £11m fee plus add-ons for Hogh.
Di 25-year-old score 17 goals and provide five assists for Eliteserien for 2025-26 season, and e also play key role for Bodo giant-killing run to Champions League round of 16. Im five goals for di competition be di joint-most by Danish player for single campaign, wey equal Nicklas Bendtner for 2009-10 and Rasmus Hojlund for 2023-24.
For dat run, Hogh manage eight total goal involvements, wey be di outright most by player from Denmark for single season for Champions League. O’Neill talk say: “Without going too deeply into it, dat be di calibre of player wey we dey look for, wey don score goals for Champions League. I dey hope say players wey dey come into di football club get some sort of substance. I think dat go be di exciting thing for fans.”
O’Neill add say: “For most of di time wey I dey here last season, we struggle to score goals. Maeda come up brilliantly for us for di last six or seven weeks of di season, but we no get dat recognised striker. So dat go be big plus for us if we fit do dat.”
O’Neill say e dey sad to see Maeda leave Celtic, as di player be huge part of dia domestic double during im second interim spell last season. Di 28-year-old join Celtic for January 2021 and go on to make 212 appearances for di club, scoring 79 goals and providing 39 assists, while winning 10 major honours.
Since making im debut for Celtic, only James Tavernier (100) and Lawrence Shankland (97) don directly contribute to more goals for Scottish Premiership than Maeda (79 – 50 goals and 29 assists). O’Neill tok: “Naturally, I go miss am. E dey im last year of im contract. Before I come here, di club make am real big offer, on our terms, at least 16 months ago. And di lad refuse to do am for di sense say e want to play for Premier League if e fit, or di Bundesliga. So I go obviously miss am, but I dey delighted for am at di same time, genuinely delighted for am. E deserve di move because e don fantastic for di club. We go miss im presence around di place and Ipswich go dey get somebody wey dem go grow to really like.”
Celtic go begin dia Scottish Premiership title defence on August 3 against Dundee FC.
