Maeda’s mouth is the least of Celtic’s problems.

There is a line in The West Wing that came back to me when I read the Record’s latest piece on Daizen Maeda.

It comes from a one-episode character called Will Sawyer, a reporter assigned to cover the White House. He is not thrilled about it. In fact, he seems to regard the whole thing with something close to contempt, and at first CJ thinks that contempt might be part of the act.

Then she realises it is not.

He does not want to write gossip. He does not want to behave like a stenographer. He does not want to treat every overheard remark, every bit of corridor noise and every tiny piece of insider nonsense as if it is a major story.

At one point, explaining why he will not run with something Toby has said, he delivers a line I have always loved. He says he read a column where someone complained about the decade of scandals she had to cover, “as if the news was to blame for the quality of journalism.”

That is a wonderful line. And it applies perfectly here.

Because Daizen Maeda is not responsible for the quality of the journalism being written about him. He is not responsible for the tone. He is not responsible for the sneering headlines. He is not responsible for the decision to turn perfectly ordinary answers to perfectly ordinary questions into some kind of scandal.

The Record chose to do that. Not Maeda.

Their piece, headlined “TV motormouth Daizen Maeda should shut up and remember he is being paid by Celtic,” is exactly the kind of journalism that makes you wonder whether some people are annoyed by the story, or simply delighted to have found an excuse to write it that way. Because what exactly has Maeda done?

He has been asked questions about his future. He has answered them. He has been back in Japan, appearing on television, speaking in interviews and doing what footballers do when they are asked about their ambitions. He has made it clear that he would like to play in the English Premier League. Well, stop the presses.

A professional footballer has ambitions. A player who has given Celtic everything, who has run himself into the ground, who has emptied every last drop from the tank, who has scored crucial goals and played through pain and fatigue, would quite like to test himself in one of the biggest leagues in the world.

Honestly, what are we supposed to be angry about here?

Is Maeda supposed to pretend he has never heard of the Premier League? Is he supposed to sit there blinking politely and saying nothing? Is he supposed to treat every question about his future as if it is a matter of national security?

The whole thing is ridiculous.

Maeda is not walking up to random strangers in the street and demanding a move. He is not standing outside Celtic Park with a cardboard sign reading “EPL or bust.” He is not downing tools. He is not refusing to train. He is not disrespecting the club.

He is answering questions, questions being asked of him by journalists. If Michael Gannon has a bone to pick it should be with them. That is it. The media are creating the outrage and then acting as if the player created it for them.

That is the trick. It is the same lazy move every time.

Take a player’s honest comments, dress them up as disloyalty, write the most contemptuous version possible, then sit back and pretend you were forced into it by the facts. But the facts did not write that headline. The facts did not tell anyone to sneer at Maeda as a “motormouth.” The facts did not decide that a player who has given Celtic years of honest, relentless service should be spoken to like a naughty schoolboy.

The journalism did that.

And the news is not to blame for the quality of journalism.

Celtic supporters are not stupid. We know Maeda wants to leave. Most of us have known it for a while. We know he wanted to go last year. We know this is probably his final window. We know the club should already have been planning for it. We know that if a suitable offer comes in, there is every chance he will be gone.

That is not shocking.

What would be shocking is if Celtic have not prepared for it.

That is where the real anger should be directed. Not at Maeda for being honest. Not at Maeda for having ambitions. Not at Maeda for doing interviews in Japan and answering questions put to him by people who know his future is a live issue.

The anger should be directed at the club as they have allowed this to drift.

Because of all the problems Celtic currently face, Daizen Maeda talking too much on Japanese television is somewhere near the very bottom of the list.

It is not keeping supporters awake at night. It is not the thing making us nervous about Europe. It is not the reason people are reading Martin O’Neill’s quotes three times and wondering what state this squad will be in by the time the serious football starts.

The problem is not that Maeda has an ambition. The problem is that Celtic may not have a plan for replacing him when he goes. If his departure weakens us badly, that is not because he spoke about the Premier League. It is because Celtic failed to do the work required to protect themselves from an obvious outcome.

This is where the media framing becomes so irritating.

They want us annoyed at the player. Most fans are not.

Most fans respect Maeda. Most fans understand the situation. Most fans will wish him well if he gets the move he wants, provided Celtic get proper money and act properly in replacing him. He has earned that. He has been a terrific Celtic player. He has given more in individual matches than some players give across entire contracts.

So no, I am not going to sit here and pretend that Daizen Maeda is the villain of the summer because he answered a few questions honestly. I am far more interested in whether Celtic are ready for the consequences of the answers he has given over and over again.

That is the real story. Not “Maeda should shut up.” Not “Maeda should remember who pays him.” Not “Maeda is getting ideas above his station.”

The real story is this: Celtic have known this day was likely coming, and if they are not ready for it, that failure belongs to the people running the football club.

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