Next to Celtic fans, Billy Dodds saw them play last season.
At Rangers, Dodds was on Barry Ferguson’s coaching team for a short time. During that time, they watched Celtic win their 55th title.
Dodds, who used to lead Inverness Caledonian Thistle, played Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic twice, beating them at Parkhead and then drawing them 1-1 at Ibrox.
Even though the Hoops have a lot of talented and impressive players, the former Rangers scorer thought one man stood out above the rest.
Billy Dodds says that Daizen Maeda makes him “scared.”
This year, Daizen Maeda was named Scotland’s PFA Player of the Year because he scored 29 goals and set up 11 others in domestic play after January.
Dodds made it clear on Go Radio that he was “scared” when he saw Celtic’s all-action forward and that you should “always be wary of him.”
It’s also important to remember that Dodds fought Maeda before, when Maeda was the big man at Inverness.
People asked Paul Cooney, “What did you think of Daizen Maeda when you fought him up close a few months ago?”
“Scared,” Dodds replied. He scored the goal that put Celtic back in the game at the start of the second half.
“You have to be careful around him all the time. Even when I was at Inverness. Even in the cup final.” You were just telling yourself, “You need to keep this guy quiet.”
“Yes, I agree. Those are the main three… Maeda, McGregor, and Carter-Vickers.” It’s built up through your back.
Dodds says that Celtic “need another striker.”
Since Jota is out for a long time, Maeda has moved back to the left wing. He played there in the win over St. Mirren on the first day and in the three points at Aberdeen over the weekend.
But Dodds made it clear that Celtic Park needs another scorer, even though the Japanese star could play centre forward and Adam Idah, who is under fire, hasn’t scored yet.
As of September 1, 2025, the summer transfer window is closed. Rodgers has made it clear that he wants to add more punch to his team.
“Him being a striker is fine if you want to play him that way,” Dodds said about Maeda.
“He can do both.” Even though they have Maeda and Idah, I still think Celtic needs another scorer. Even so, I still believe they need to add someone to that spot if they want to do well in the Champions League.
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