NOTHING in football is ever cut and dried until the ink has dried on the contract, the platoon of agents and Philadelphian lawyers are satisfied and the fat lady has sung.
It’s then – and only then – anything as guaranteed.
It appears everyone wants Adam Idah to sign a permanent deal for Celtic following his impressive haul of nine goals – including the weekend’s Scottish Cup winner – since his loan arrival from Norwich City on January deadline day.
On the face of it, it doesn’t look too complicated. Dig a bit deeper and you’ll find a nest of vipers.
CUP WINNER…Adam Idah slams the clincher past keeper Jack Butland.
There is NO option to buy in the current temporary agreement and it’s fair to say the evaluation of the 23-year-old Republic of Ireland international striker has soared since he first stepped foot inside Parkhead at the turn of the year.
The original fee was suggested at around the £3million level, but, depending on what you hear or read on both sides of the border, that figure seems to have DOUBLED in recent weeks.
That’s a lot of extra zeros, folks.
Remember, please, Idah was a mere bit-part player in David Wagner’s scheme of things at the English second-tier outfit. The manager, of course, left the post earlier this month after failure to lead the team to promotion.
My information – as reported in
CQN in March – was that the Carrow Road hierarchy were more than satisfied to strike a deal with the champions to allow their player to leave.
With little or no chance of Idah achieving a regular first-team place – Sydney van Hooijdonk, son of ex-Hoops hitman Pierre, had just arrived on loan from from Bologna – their reasoning was fairly basic.
LET’S HEAR SOME NOISE FOR THE BHOYS…Adam Idah races away in triumph to the cheers of the celebrating Celtic supporters at Hampden.
Quite correctly, Norwich City reckoned Celtic would provide the ideal shop window for their Cork-born player and, if he performed to a reasonable standard in the Premiership, they would be in a position to hold an auction in the summer to offload the attack-leader to the highest bidder.
Idah is under contract until June 2028 and the East Anglian club are in the enviable position of sitting back and awaiting offers for a player whose name has been catapulted into the headlines since January.
Brendan Rodgers wants him, the player has expressed his lifetime fondness for Celtic – but hard cash all too often has a persuasive way of turning things on their head.
I have more than a suspicion that agents, old Mr Ten Percent themselves, will have gone into overdrive since the final shrill of Nick Walsh’s whistle at Hampden on Saturday afternoon.
There could be some tough negotiating throughout the summer for Michael Nicholson and the Parkhead powerbrokers.
ALEX GORDON
Click Here for Comments >
