The champions paid £9.5 million to get Idah back permanently, but Hartson thinks he ‘hasn’t hit the ground running.
John Hartson has questioned if Celtic’s £9.5 million summer transfer for Adam Idah represents fair value.
Brendan Rodgers put the Irish striker at the top of his transfer want list after a successful six-month loan spell in Glasgow last season. However, there was no pre-agreed fee with Norwich City, and the Canaries were well aware of the Hoops’ intention to get Idah, so they pushed hard over his Carrow Road exit. A settlement was eventually struck, and Idah returned north, but he has only played a minor role so far.
Hartson understands why Rodgers pursued a deal for Idah, knowing what he was receiving and that the Cork native had proven his capacity to produce for the Parkhead club. However, Kyogo remains Rodgers’ undisputed first pick, and Idah is starting to look like an expensive backup option. And Hartson wonders if there was a more efficient solution available for his former club considering the money they paid.
“To be honest, I’m not sure how many were on Celtic’s shopping list,” Hartson told GO Radio. “But they targeted Adam Idah. I believe we were all impressed, rather than sucked in, last season.
“I believe he made 19 appearances, many of which came off the bench, and I was delighted when he scored the winning goal against Rangers in the cup final. He created a huge hero of himself. He made a big name for himself. By the way, I scored some key goals in the run-in.
“He hasn’t struck the ground running. One of the reasons is that it is quite difficult to remove Kyogo. When you feel like you’re the next guy in and not the number one striker, it might cause a loss of confidence and make you think, “The manager isn’t putting me in this week,” in terms of being the main number nine. I believe that can occasionally undermine your confidence.
“I’m not going to critique him too harshly, but I’m not sure who else Celtic had their sights on last season. He cost £9 million. Many admirers could simply remark, “Well.” Could we have had a better one? One of the reasons Celtic signed him was because he performed well on loan. “He seemed like the obvious choice.”
Read more at: https://sportupdates.co.uk
Leave a Reply