It’s not easy being the number nine for Celtic, but that’s the pressure Adam Idah has to deal with on a weekly basis.
It doesn’t help by the fact that Celtic paid big money to re-sign Idah in the summer, after his successful loan spell from Norwich City the season before, including that memorable goal in the final against Rangers.
From the get-go, Idah always knew that Kyogo Furuhashi was the main man for Brendan Rodgers, and that disrupted the Irishman’s game time and rhythm.
But then, Kyogo left Celtic in January, and it opened a door for Idah to start up top on a regular basis, and he showcased his worth, including netting a brace away at Aston Villa in the Champions League.
Since then, Daizen Maeda has gone goal-crazy and also made that centre-forward role his own, as the Cork man has tried and tried to make himself known.
Recent off-field noises have emerged around Idah, but he has done his talking on the field of play for Celtic, as we look back at what Liam Scales said about his fellow countryman before he re-joined.
What Liam Scales said about Adam Idah before he re-joined Celtic
It isn’t a surprise that, after the horror show in Perth, as soon as Idah comes back into the XI, the team have scored ten goals and ripped apart anything that has been put in front of them.
Yes, at times, you are asking and wanting more goals from your striker, but in the overall picture, he does make the team tick far better.
And Scales touched upon just that, before Idah re-signed, and how he makes life easier for those behind him, as he told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard.
“We would love to have him back,” said Scales back in the summer. “He is a great lad. He is obviously a brilliant player.
“But to have him in the changing room as well is brilliant. He is a good guy. He is funny. Everyone got on well with him. We all would love to see him back. He was massive for us. He scored massive goals. Put in massive performances.
“He is very different to Kyogo. Kyogo is a brilliant and amazing player. But Adam has more physicality. Kyogo is better playing off people’s shoulders, and he scored loads of goals doing that.
“But Adam gives you that option where you can hit his feet, and he is holding off the big Scottish defenders he is playing against. It’s a great outlet for players like me. Centre-halves and midfielders are thinking ‘play into him and we can get our creative players playing off him as well’.
“That’s probably a strength, apart from the goals he scores, that he brings.”
Idah’s numbers for Celtic this season
Idah scored against St Johnstone last time out and helped the Hoops book their Scottish Cup final ticket against Aberdeen.
Everyone knows that he loves a Scottish Cup final, and hopefully, another big moment can come from the player, so he can end the season on a high.
Yes, Idah will want to increase those goal-scoring numbers, but hopefully, that will come in the next campaign and his talents need to be trusted.
| Tournament | Apps | Mins | Goals | Avg Passes | Shots Per Game | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premiership | 16(14) | 1419 | 8 | 9.9 | 2 | 6.71 |
| Champions League | 3(7) | 339 | 3 | 6.1 | 0.9 | 6.37 |
| League Cup | 4(3) | 185 | 2 | – | – | – |
| Scottish Cup | 3(2) | 76 | 2 | – | – | – |
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