Brendan Rodgers wants to see Adam Idah stay at Celtic for next season after watching him score the winning goal against Rangers in Saturday’s Scottish Cup Final.
Idah pounced in the 90th minute to hammer home Paulo Bernardo’s parried shot, spilt by Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland.
The Republic of Ireland international was blown away speaking post-match, affirming the love he has for Celtic and the experience he has enjoyed in Glasgow.
However, he remains a Norwich City talent and unless Celtic meet their asking price this summer, he won’t be returning to Scotland for the 2024/25 campaign.
Rodgers has now made it clear he wants the club to sign up the striker if possible, stating publicly that the board knows how he feels about the subject.
Brendan Rodgers on Adam Idah’s future
The Celtic boss said [The Scotsman]: “The board know how I feel on Adam, that was the reason for bringing him in. He’s been a real catalyst for us, especially over the last few months. I knew what I was getting because I’d seen him in the Premier League at 18. He has all the attributes. He’s fast, dynamic, strong and I felt with better positioning he’d get goals.
“What he’s done since coming in is show that he’s a goalscorer. He gets different types of goals. He has great movement in the box and he deals with pressure moments. Today, he was like a real number nine sniffing in and around the box. He’s been absolutely immense for us and he’s clearly someone I’d like to do something with.”
In a separate interview on Premier Sports, Rodgers added: “He’s still got a long term deal at Norwich but he’s definitely someone I’d love to bring back here. At 23, with the potential he has and the qualities he has, I think he can really push on in his career.”
Celtic will have to navigate Idah roadblocks
Idah’s contract at Norwich runs until 2028 so they are in a pretty strong negotiation position. However, reports indicate he could be available for around £6m which is well within the spending power of Celtic this summer.
There are also wages to consider and the player’s long-term ambitions. He may fancy a go at the English Premier League on the back of an eye-catching half-season in Scotland.
Still, the noises about a deal for the player are positive from Rodgers. He wouldn’t be speaking like this if there wasn’t a chance to land him. It’s a situation to watch closely this summer.