Fresh off securing promotion back to England’s top flight, Ipswich Town continues its aggressive offseason roster rebuild, announcing the acquisition of Japanese international forward Daizen Maeda from Scottish powerhouse Celtic in a transfer deal finalized Saturday.
The 28-year-old winger, who turned heads with his performance at the most recent FIFA World Cup, brings a proven track record of goals and title success to the Tractor Boys. During his time with Celtic, Maeda built a formidable reputation as a dynamic, pacey attacking threat, notching 79 goals across 212 competitive appearances for the club. His contributions on the pitch were instrumental in helping Celtic claim five Scottish league championship titles during his tenure.
Maeda’s international resume further underscores his quality: he featured for Japan in the World Cup, finding the back of the net in a critical 1-1 group stage draw with Sweden that helped keep Japan’s knockout stage hopes alive before the side bowed out to Brazil in the round of 16.
Ipswich has not yet publicly disclosed any financial details of the transfer agreement with Celtic. The signing of Maeda comes just days after the club confirmed another high-profile addition: Moroccan defender Issa Diop, who joined the East Anglian side from Premier League outfit Fulham.
Ipswich’s string of new signings comes as the club prepares for its first season back in the Premier League after earning promotion following a single campaign in the English Football League Championship, the second tier of English soccer. Management has made clear that strengthening the squad across multiple positions is a top priority to help the side compete against the best teams in English football.