Ex-Celtic defender, Mark Wilson, has expressed his belief that Celtic is going all out to fulfil their commitment to Brendan Rodgers by procuring Adam Idah, an international player from the Republic of Ireland. Idah is reportedly on the brink of sealing a permanent move to Celtic in a deal that could potentially cost up to £9.5 million, with a minimum expenditure of £8.5 million.
This figure is comparable to the record amount paid by Celtic to Paris St Germain for Odsonne Edouard in 2018, during Rodgers’ initial tenure. After the previous summer transfer window, Rodgers emphasised his preference for quality over mass additions, following eight new signings, none of whom featured in the initial two matches this season or in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup final.
Idah’s impressive tally of nine goals for Celtic, following his January loan, which includes a match-winning goal in the cup final against Rangers, signifies his potential value. Following the recent return of midfielder Paulo Bernardo from Benfica, as well as the recruitment of goalkeepers Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo, Rodgers appears to be on track to meet his summer transfer demands.
Despite the deal with Idah having been a lengthy process, Rodgers has stated his willingness to wait for the right players. The transfer fee for Idah indicates that the Celtic board is prepared to dip into their approximately £70 million reserve funds to ensure their manager’s satisfaction.
Mark Wilson stated to Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, “This exceeds my initial expectations, but we have a 23-year-old international striker who has been successful in scoring goals for Celtic. I believe both clubs have benefited from this deal; Norwich has done well with a player who wasn’t in their main line-up, and Celtic has secured a scorer.”
It is evident from the ex-Celtic defender’s remarks that the return of this particular player was imperatively sought by Brendan Rodgers. It is likely that one of Rodgers’ primary conditions for resuming his role at the club was acquiring the players he had explicitly targeted and desired. Reporting by PA.