Done Deal: Celtic has reached verbal agreement with player; perfect Idahs’ replacement
Celtic could land better signing than Idah in swoop for 12-goal star
Celtic have enjoyed a successful week on the transfer front as they have officially completed the signings of Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo.
They now have two first-team goalkeepers who can compete with each other to fill Joe Hart’s gloves next season, after the former England international retired at the end of last term.
The Scottish Premiership champions are also reportedly keen on a deal to bring Ireland international Adam Idah back to Parkhead before the end of the summer transfer window.
It was recently claimed that the Hoops have continued talks with Norwich City over a deal for the 6 foot 3 striker, after they had a £4m+ bid turned down for him.
The Bhoys have not been able to strike an agreement with the English Championship side, after the striker spent the second half of last term on loan in Glasgow.
Idah has now returned to pre-season training with the Canaries under Johannes Hoff Thorup and played in their 3-0 defeat to Club Brugge on Wednesday.
It now remains to be seen whether or not Celtic will be able to bring him back to the club, but they could land a better signing by swooping for another Championship marksman.
Celtic’s interest in Scottish star
Last month, Football Scotland claimed that the Hoops and fellow Premiership giants Rangers are both interested in landing Tommy Conway from Bristol City.
The outlet reported that both teams are set to make offers to sign the Scotland international if he becomes a free agent next summer, with his contract currently due to expire at the end of the season.
It added that they could snap him up on a pre-contract agreement from January onwards and noted that it would only them £300k in cross-border compensation to sign the 21-year-old star.
However, Celtic may be forced to move their plans forward as the attacker looks set to move on from Bristol City during the current transfer window.
Bristol Live reports that the young forward has been sent to train with the U21s due to his refusal to put pen to paper on a new contract with the club.
Manager Liam Manning confirmed that Conway has expressed a desire to explore an exit from Ashton Gate and he will now be with the academy group until a transfer is agreed, or if his mind changes and fresh terms are agreed.
Brendan Rodgers must now swoop to sign him before the end of this window to ensure that they do not miss out on him to any rivals, as he could be a better signing than Idah.
Adam Idah’s terrific loan spell with Celtic
Celtic signed the Ireland international on loan from Norwich at the end of the winter transfer window, without an option to make the deal permanent.
Their failure to put a future fee in as part of the move turned out to be a blunder as the striker hit the ground running in Glasgow and produced a fantastic return in front of goal.
The Hoops loanee also popped up with a huge goal in the SFA Cup final at Hampden Park – slotting into the back of the net in the 90th minute to secure a 1-0 win over Rangers.
Prior to his spell at Parkhead, however, the 23-year-old ace had failed to make his mark on a consistent basis after coming through the Norwich academy.
A product of their youth set-up, Idah only scored 17 goals in 115 appearances in all competitions for the Canaries before his move to Celtic earlier this year.
Celtic striker Adam Idah celebrates winning the Scottish Cup
He had managed 11 goals in 70 outings in the Championship for Norwich and this suggests that a player who is not particularly prolific, but has quality, in the second tier in England could thrive with a move to the Premiership to play for Rodgers.
With this in mind, Conway could now come in as an even better signing than Idah if he can make a similar step up for the 2024/25 campaign.
Why Celtic should sign Tommy Conway
Firstly, he is a Scotland international and Celtic would, therefore, be developing a player who could also help the country on the international stage in the future.
At the age of 21, he is also two years younger than Idah and has more time left ahead of him to develop and improve, which means that the youngster would come in as a long-term addition to the club – as well as someone who can make an immediate impact.
Tommy Conway for Bristol City.
Conway, who was dubbed a “gifted” talent by EFL boss Steve Evans, also has the quality to potentially offer more than the Irishman on the pitch, based on their respective form at Championship level.
They both played in England’s second tier last season, albeit Idah’s time was cut short by the move to Celtic, and the Bristol City star came out on top in several statistics.
As you can see in the table above, the Scottish marksman outperformed the Norwich ace as a goalscorer in the division, scoring more goals and outperforming his Expected Goals by more.
The 21-year-old star, who scored 12 goals in all competitions, has scored 20 goals in 82 Championship games in his career – nine more goals in just 12 more appearances in comparison to Idah.
These statistics suggest that the potential is there for Conway to be even better than the Canaries gem, due to his finishing ability and success in duels against opposition defenders.
He could also be a better signing due to his age, as the Scotsman is younger than Idah and has more time to develop, and Rodgers must now swoop to bring him to Parkhead to see if he can thrive in the Premiership.