Celtic striker Adam Idah enjoyed an eventful Glasgow Derby debut against Rangers, coming off the bench to net in dramatic fashion.
Unfortunately, his strike to put the Bhoys ahead on 87 minutes was cancelled out by Rabbi Matondo six minutes later; however, Idah can take satisfaction from his afternoon’s work on Glasgow’s southside.
Replacing Kyogo Furuhashi with just over 20 minutes of normal time remaining, the Republic of Ireland international earned a Fotmob average match rating of 7.5/10, completing three dribbles, winning four duels, and one successful cross from just 19 touches.
Of course, his goal will go down as the memorable aspect of his display, as he capitalised on some excellent approach play from Paulo Bernardo to shift the ball onto his right foot before leaving Jack Butland with no chance.
In total, the 23-year-old has registered six goals and two assists in 11 appearances for Celtic across all competitions, including two braces at pivotal times against Hibernian and Motherwell [Transfermarkt].
Adam Idah has offered something completely different for Celtic
Idah arrived in the January transfer window to little fanfare following his loan move from Norwich City; nevertheless, the Cork-born man offered physicality combined with running power in attack; meanwhile, his finishing hasn’t been bad either.
According to Sofascore, he has averaged 2.3 shots on goal per Scottish Premiership match, 1.3 of which have hit the target, coupled with a goal conversion rate of 29%.
Revelling in his role at Parkhead, Idah spoke yesterday after what he described as a ‘crazy’ Glasgow Derby match at Ibrox, signalling his excitement for our return fixture against Rangers.
He stated: “I thought the boys done excellent from start to finish; to get the early goal was amazing, it was crazy! My first time being here, it’s amazing, and what the boys did with no fans is fantastic, so it was a good experience, but I’m looking forward to playing them at home.”
Playing his role off the bench to perfection against Rangers, Idah could well be a handy option to utilise either from the start or coming on as a substitute in our Parkhead showdown post-split.
Celtic moving for Idah permanently will depend on finances
Reports in Ireland earlier this year suggested Idah may be available for a fee in excess of £3 million at the end of the season; nevertheless, you would imagine Norwich will demand a robust sum for his services due to his impact in Glasgow’s east end.
Football Scotland journalist Mark Hendry has claimed that Celtic will need to wait until the end of the season to find out whether they can make a permanent approach.
His parent club are waiting to see whether they are involved in the Premier League or Sky Bet Championship next team.
At the same time, the Canaries are non-committal to the thought of letting Idah depart before Sydney van Hooijdonk (his replacement) proves his worth at Carrow Road.
As Brendan Rodgers plots his summer transfer business, it will be interesting to see whether the Bhoys consider permanently signing Idah.