Celtic sealed their third successive Scottish Premiership title in midweek in typically emphatic style, running roughshod over Kilmarnock in a 5-0 rout at Rugby Park – and on an evening when ‘The Bhoys’ produced fireworks, Ireland’s Adam Idah lit the spark.
The Cork-born 23-year-old ignited the green and white touchpaper as early as the fifth minute when he got on the end of a teasing Matt O’Riley centre to plunder the kind of poacher’s effort he’s been trying to score more of.
The goal – which was Idah’s eighth since joining Celtic on loan from Norwich City during the winter transfer window – brought his cross-border tally for the entire campaign up to 15, a haul that represents the striker’s best-ever return for a single season.
With the summer fast approaching, Idah’s future remains uncertain, though his sharp performances in the final third in Scotland would have lengthened his line of potential suitors.
Who is Adam Idah?
Born in Cork to a Nigerian father and an Irish mother, Adam Idah caught the eye early as a six-year-old striker for his local club, College Corinthians, in his native Douglas.
One of his former Corinthians coaches, Terry O’Donovan, spoke in glowing terms about Idah’s early potential in an interview with Cork Beo, saying:
He had a couple of things that made him really stand out when he first came to Corinthians. He was such a physically strong lad and had unbelievable pace from such a young age.
Idah was a natural sportsman, representing his school soccer team at Scoil Niocláis in Frankfield and playing both hurling and football for Douglas GAA. He was even involved with Leevale Athletic Club, where he honed his sprinting technique.
However, it was his prowess with Corinthians that generated all the buzz, and once incorporated into the Irish underage setup, Idah began to draw attention from English scouts.
Representatives from Aston Villa, Sunderland, Brighton, Liverpool – and Celtic – put forward their case. However, with support from his family, Idah chose Norwich City, signing for the East Anglian club in the belief that the Canaries offered the best environment for his development.
In his first year in England, Idah scored nine times in 15 games in the Premier League U-18s division, though his 10-minute hat-trick in the FA Youth Cup against Barnsley grabbed the most headlines back home, and the youngster finished his maiden campaign by landing the award for the Norwich Under-18 player of the season.
Another prolific year while stepping up to the U23s would follow, earning Idah his first professional contract in 2019. The centre-forward’s meteoric rise continued that summer when he joined the Norwich first-team for their pre-season programme.
A first competitive outing for then-top-tier side Norwich arrived against Crawley in August before Idah made his Premier League bow off the bench the following January (2020). A stunning hat-trick against Preston in the FA Cup in the same month felt like Idah’s coming of age, and by September, the targetman had been drafted into Stephen Kenny’s Republic of Ireland squad.
Idah has amassed 24 caps since, though his modest goal record for both club and country has often been a lightning rod for criticism, and the attacker’s confidence suffered.
Indeed, despite threatening to do so, Idah failed to establish himself as a regular starter for Norwich, and desperate for a fresh start after another half-campaign of cameos in 2023/24, Idah moved north of the border to join Celtic on deadline day on 1st February this year.
Idah’s journey with Celtic
Idah, who was a boyhood Celtic fan, jumped at the chance to don the famous green and white hoops, though the club’s supporters did express concerns about the signing of a striker who “didn’t score goals”.
Those fears were soon allayed, however, thanks to Idah’s fast start in Scotland. The 23-year-old marked his debut with an assist and followed this with two goals in his second outing for Celtic in their 2-1 win over Hibernian.
Idah’s goal against Kilmarnock this week was his eighth since his foray north, though his goal in the club’s 3-3 draw with Rangers at Ibrox Stadium on 7th April earned him cult-hero status.
With his untapped potential finally starting to show, Idah’s self-belief has been restored, and the forward admitted that his move to Celtic has done wonders for his confidence:
I am really enjoying playing up here. It’s probably the most confident I have ever been. People can probably tell that when I am on the pitch and around the place, it’s probably the best I have played and you can tell by the goals.
I have got a lot more minutes, the manager [Brendan Rodgers] has a lot of trust in me, the lads got used to me and know my style of football.
Will he play in the Scottish Cup Final?
While his spirit has clearly been galvanised by the guidance of Brendan Rodgers and by his fresh surroundings in Scotland, Idah still hasn’t quite established himself as a first-choice striker at Celtic, and his appearance against Kilmarnock in midweek was only his fifth start in the Premiership since February.
In the main, Idah has been given a role as an impact sub and nine of his 16 league outings in Scotland have come off the bench. The Irish international was also kept in reserve in last month’s Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen, though he was introduced in the second half and scored the first penalty in the shootout after the game was tied 3-3.
Despite playing a part in securing a berth in the eagerly anticipated Old Firm cup final later this month, there are no guarantees that Idah will be handed a starring role at Hampden Park on 25th May.
He is likely to be given one last audition in Celtic’s last Premiership fixture against St. Mirren before that showpiece showdown against Rangers in the cup, though displacing club favourite and Old Firm specialist Kyogo Furuhashi as Rodgers’ first-choice striker in the final will take some doing.
What will the 2024/2025 season hold for Adam Idah?
Adam Idah looks comfortable in his surroundings at Celtic, but with his loan deal from Norwich set to expire next month, his future looks uncertain.
Speaking after Celtic’s title-confirming win against Kilmarnock in midweek, Idah hinted that he would prefer to prolong his stay in Glasgow. In an interview with Celtic TV, he said:
Unbelievable. I had a tough start to the season, my confidence was low and ever since I arrived I’ve been so welcomed in. I hope I repaid that to the fans and to the players and look, I’m over the moon to be here.
The crowd are unbelievable. What the boys have done tonight has been amazing. Not just tonight, but the whole season. There’s been so many ups and downs, so it’s fantastic to enjoy it with everyone.
However, with Norwich believed to be demanding a fee of around £6m for his permanent services, Idah’s price might be too much for Celtic. The Hoops are also believed to have a serious interest in prolific Hearts frontman Lawrence Shankland, who has scored close to 60 goals across the last two seasons for the Jambos.
If Celtic solidify their interest in Shankland, then Idah’s chance of securing a full-time move to Parkhead could wane. However, in that scenario, the Corkman would still return to parent club Norwich as a more robust, confident performer following his Scottish experience.
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