Naturally, it goes beyond mere appearances, goals, and assists.
While McGregor, at 33, is nearing the later stages of his playing days, his know-how and ability to lead would be hard to replicate.
Still just 28, Maeda not only boasts World Cup experience with Japan but likely still has his peak years to come — and the same could apply to the even younger Engels.
Former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglu spoke glowingly during the summer tournament about the “top-class” pressing ability that has turned Maeda into such a prized member of the squad, while McGregor has long served as the team’s driving force, shouldering more of that burden after taking over the captaincy from Scott Brown in 2021.
All of this renders both players appealing to interested parties, just as Engels’ skill and room for development do.
A potential switch to Wolfsburg in 2025 for Maeda never came to pass, while Engels drew attention from Nottingham Forest last season.
Their subsequent dip in early-season performances was attributed by some to the let-down of seeing those transfers fall through, yet both rallied to finish the campaign strongly, although not quite enough to secure Engels a spot in Belgium’s World Cup selection.
Rumours about McGregor’s next step are hardly fresh, considering he has been a standout figure at Celtic for a dozen years.
He demonstrated his commitment to the side when he stepped away from international duty to preserve his Celtic performance levels.
That said, back in April, he cautioned that he would be content to see out his career at Celtic only if they “keep driving forward and striving for achievement”.
That statement came before their late surge under O’Neill wrested the title away from Hearts, but given his age, McGregor may have one significant transfer left in him, despite being under contract until 2028, just like Engels.
Maeda has only a year remaining on his deal, so as it stands, Celtic have merely two transfer windows to secure a fee.
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