ADAM IDAH has eight Premiership games and hopefully two Scottish Cup-ties to prove to Brendan Rodgers he is worth a permanent deal at Celtic.
The 23-year-old Republic of Ireland international striker has scored five goals – including two penalty-kicks against Hibs – in his seven appearances since his short-term loan switch from Norwich City.
Idah appears to possess the mystifying qualities of being a bewildering mixture of wonderful and woeful which may explain why he was a bit-part player at the Championship outfit. The powerhouse hitman failed to convince boss David Wagner he was worthy of a regular first-team start.
My information is that the Carrow Road side were happy to strike a deal with the champions on transfer deadline day to allow their player to leave, especially with USA international frontman Josh Sargent returning from injury.
THE TWO FACES OF IDAH…delight as the striker celebrates his goal for No.2 in Celtic’s 7-1 romp against Dundee and (below) despair as the player reacts to his penalty-kick miss in the champions’ 2-0 loss to Hearts.
Plus Sydney van Hooijdonk, previously linked with the Hoops, had also arrived on loan until the end of the season. Interestingly, the son of former Celt Pierre has yet to score in six outings.
Critics across the border have elevated Idah’s transfer value to the £5million region, but I doubt if anyone at Parkhead will agree with that figure.
Crucially, there is no fixed option in the loan arrangement for Celtic to buy the forward.
Norwich City may well believe the Hoops will provide the ideal shop window for their Cork-born player and, if he performs to a reasonable standard in the Premiership, they will be in a position to hold an auction in the summer to offload the attack-leader to the highest bidder.
Questions will be asked between now and the curtain coming down in May and it’s entirely down to Idah to provide the answers.
From what we have witnessed so far from an eager and busy forward, a £5million price tag looks a tad extravagant. Or optimistic, if you are the treasurer at a club situated in East Anglia.
ALEX GORDON
