Celtic could sign big Idah upgrade in “explosive” swoop for £8.5m star

Celtic are back in Champions League action this week after a long stretch of purely domestic action, as they prepare to welcome Swiss giants Young Boys to Parkhead on Wednesday night.

Brendan Rodgers will be hoping that his side can secure all three points to move one step closer to qualifying for the play-off round of the competition, after his team were knocked out in the group stage last season.

The Hoops have been in terrific form domestically. They currently sit top of the Scottish Premiership, have won the League Cup, and beat Kilmarnock 2-1 in the SFA Cup on Saturday.

Celtic are on course for another successful season under Rodgers, who won the Premiership title and the SFA Cup in his first year back at the club, after the board heavily backed him in the transfer market.

Arne Engels was brought in from Augsburg for a reported fee of £11m, a club-record deal for the Hoops, whilst the likes of Paulo Bernardo, Auston Trusty, and Luke McCowan, among others, were also snapped up.

One of the club’s deals from the summer transfer window may come under some scrutiny, though, as Adam Idah has struggled at times this season.

Adam Idah’s form this season

The Scottish giants swooped to sign the Ireland international from Norwich City in a deal worth £8.5m, plus another £1m in potential add-ons, ahead of this season.

It was a significant outlay for a player who had spent the second half of the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Parkhead and caught the eye with his performances in the centre-forward position for Celtic.

Idah scored the winner in the SFA Cup final against Rangers, as shown in the highlights above, and scored eight goals in 15 appearances in the Premiership.

The 6 foot 3 marksman’s impressive form in front of goal in the final few months of the season convinced Rodgers and the club to sanction a big-money move for the striker, but it has not gone to plan for him so far this term.

His efforts in Europe have been underwhelming, with a return of one goal in six appearances in the Champions League, and he has been incredibly wasteful in the final third in the Premiership.

As you can see in the table above, Idah has failed to hit the heights that he reached in his time on loan at the club last season, with just five goals in 20 appearances in the Scottish top-flight.

These statistics show that the Irish striker has not lived up to his price tag at this moment in time, due to his struggles at the top end of the pitch, and Celtic have been linked with a forward who could come in as a big upgrade on the ex-Norwich man.

Celtic’s interest in Danish forward

At the start of last month, Football Insider reported that the Scottish giants are interested in a January deal to sign Brondby centre-forwad Mathias Kvistgaarden to bolster their squad.

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The outlet claimed that the Hoops have been keeping tabs on the Denmark U21 international’s performances in the Superliga, whilst it added that the club have been long-term admirers of the striker.

Celtic were linked with an interest in the 22-year-old forward last summer, when his transfer value was reported to be around £8.5m, and remain keen on the impressive youngster.

Football Insider revealed, though, that the Bhoys would be prepared to wait until the summer transfer window if a move is not viable in January, but their hand could be forced by interest from elsewhere.

Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg recently claimed that Eintracht Frankfurt are eyeing Kvistgaarden, whom he described as an “explosive” talent, as one of many potential targets to replace Omar Marmoush, who is set to sign for Premier League champions Manchester City.

With this in mind, Celtic should make their move to sign the Danish dynamo before the end of the January transfer window to ensure that they do not lose out in the race for his signature, as he could come in as a big upgrade on Idah.

Why Celtic should sign Mathias Kvistgaarden

The 22-year-old star has been in impressive form for Brondby in the Danish top-flight and his performances this season suggest that he would offer more to Rodgers than the Irish marksman has so far this term.

As aforementioned, the £9.5m signing from Norwich has not done enough in front of goal to nail down a regular spot in the starting line-up, with ten ‘big chances’ missed and only five goals scored in 20 appearances in the Premiership.

Kvistgaarden, meanwhile, has taken his game to another level in the Superliga this season after a return of eight goals and five assists in 24 league matches last term.

The Celtic and Frankfurt target has provided a consistent threat at the top end of the pitch for Brondby as both a scorer and a creator of goals, which has attracted interest from clubs this month.

As you can see in the table above, Kvistgaarden has significantly outperformed Idah at league level this season, with twice as many goals and four more assists, whilst also missing four fewer ‘big chances’.

The Danish star also scored two goals and provided one assist in three Europa Conference League qualifiers, to go along with two goals in four domestic cup matches – taking his tally to 14 goals in all competitions.

These statistics suggest that Kvistgaarden would offer far more to Celtic, as both a finisher and a creator in the centre-forward position, to make the most of the high-quality chances that Idah has been spurning in the Premiership.

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Celtic have already had a £10m bid turned down by the Premier League side.

It is now down to Rodgers and the board to push for this deal to get over the line before Frankfurt have the chance to swoop in and secure his services this month.