Wednesday’s draw away to Atalanta in the Champions League offered an example of Celtic’s newfound defensive strength, bolstered by the presence of a veteran Kasper Schmeichel in the sticks, with the Old Firm side recording their first clean sheet in Europe’s premier competition in seven years.
It is at the top end of the pitch, however, where the Hoops have largely drawn plaudits in recent times – even despite racking up six clean sheets in the Premiership already this term – with 24 goals scored from just eight league outings.
To put that into perspective, Philippe Clement’s Rangers – who are no longer the Parkhead side’s closest title challengers – have only scored 12 goals in that time, illustrating the stark difference in quality in those forward ranks.
With goals coming from the flanks courtesy of both Daizen Maeda and Nicholas Kuhn, who have six apiece, what is also particularly pleasing is the competition in the centre-forward berth, with Kyogo Furuhashi now kept on his toes by the presence of a certain Adam Idah.
Adam Idah's Celtic record
It’s fair to say that the arrival of the Irishman in January was not met with widespread optimism among those in Glasgow, with club legend Chris Sutton among the notable doubters, after insisting that the Norwich City man wasn’t an “upgrade” on Oh Hyeon-gyu and was a “long way from the finished article”.
Perhaps that latter claim is still true, yet the 23-year-old – who scored just 17 goals in 116 games for the Canaries – has no doubt flourished ever since arriving through the door on an initial temporary basis, having been something of a difference-maker in the second half of last season.
After ending 2023/24 with nine goals in just 19 games, a return that included his last-gasp winner in the Scottish Cup final triumph over the Gers, the Cork native was belatedly snapped up permanently by Brendan Rodgers and co over the summer.
An initial £9.5m outlay may appear hefty, yet Idah has continued to impress in the early knockings of this season with four goals in all competitions, albeit while scoring just once in the Premiership.
The latest in a long line of young strikers who have arrived at the club in recent times – harking back to the likes of Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard – the Republic of Ireland star has certainly made a positive impression, as his return of 13 goals in 30 games illustrates.
That said, there is another former Hoops star who is perhaps soaring even higher for one of Europe’s elite clubs…
The former Celtic star who is worth more than Idah
They say never fall in love with loan players, with it often far too brief of a relationship.
Market Movers
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That was indeed the case with the signing of a then-teenage forward by the name of Timothy Weah back in January 2019, with the American marksman having made a brief, yet telling impact at the club.
In truth, it couldn’t have started much better for the then Paris Saint-Germain starlet as he scored on debut in a 3-0 win over Airdrieonians in the Scottish Cup, prior to then netting on his league debut against St Mirren.
His fourth league outing – which also came in the form of a late cameo – also yielded a goal and an assist to mark a bright beginning at Parkhead, with those “impressive” showings drawing particular praise from Charlie Nicholas:
“He reminds me of when Nicholas Anelka first came into the Arsenal side – the speed and desire to get in with the markers, he reminds me a bit of that. Anelka was a better player but the confidence he will get from Celtic having so much of the ball as well as the support.”
Unfortunately for Weah, that early impact was somewhat halted following Rodgers’ decision to call time on his first spell in charge in late February, with the youngster subsequently used sparingly by the Northern Irishman’s successor, Neil Lennon.
That lack of involvement culminated in the on-loan forward seeing his loan spell cut short to join up with the United States ahead of the U20 World Cup, thus missing out on the Scottish Cup final clash with Hearts.
Following his return to France, the versatile talent – who registered five goals and assists in just 17 games for Celtic – ultimately joined fellow Ligue 1 side Lille, prior to moving to Italian giants Juventus last summer.
Club
Games
Goals
Assists
Lille
107
8
8
Juventus
41
2
3
Celtic
17
4
1
PSG B
15
4
0
PSG UEFA U19
11
4
1
PSG
6
2
0
PSG U19
2
1
0
Total
199
25
13
Still just 24, Weah has enjoyed an encouraging start to the new season under Thiago Motta, with one goal and one assist chalked up in Serie A from his right wing-back role.
That rise since leaving Glasgow has ensured that the 41-cap international is now deemed to be worth around £12m – according to Football Transfers – thus placing him ahead of Idah’s sizeable transfer fee from the summer.
There may be a sense of frustration that Weah was never properly afforded a consistent run of starts under Lennon to prove his worth, although the player himself can at least look back fondly on his short, but memorable, stint at Celtic Park at the age of just 18.
Celtic's "no-nonsense" loan ace is now worth more than Trusty after leaving
One former Celtic star is now thriving elsewhere
1 ByRobbie WallsOct 24, 2024
