Celtic make contact over deal to signal £2.6m star who’d bench Adam Idah

Celtic are again in motion as soon as once more this night as they put together to welcome Falkirk to Parkhead of their first League Cup match of the season.

The Hoops gained the competitors within the 2024/25 marketing campaign, beating Rangers on penalties within the last, and they are going to be hoping to raise it once more this yr underneath Brendan Rodgers.

They have to first get previous Falkirk, who’ve conceded 5 targets of their first two matches again within the Scottish Premiership, and it will likely be attention-grabbing to see what route the supervisor goes down along with his group choice.

Rodgers might see this as a possibility to offer the perimeter gamers with possibilities to impress him, or he might go along with his most popular line-up to offer them the most effective likelihood of successful the sport.

The Northern Irish head coach ought to hand minutes to one among his different choices within the centre-forward place, although, as Shin Yamada and Johnny Kenny are each ready within the wings behind Adam Idah.

Celtic’s quantity 9 has began the season because the first-choice striker for Rodgers, however has but to show that he has what it takes to be the primary man for the group transferring ahead.

Why Adam Idah ought to be on the bench

Idah didn’t do sufficient within the video games in opposition to St Mirren and Aberdeen to recommend that he’s going to be a ruthless and medical goalscorer within the centre-forward place for the Hoops this time period.

While it’s nonetheless very early within the season, the previous Norwich Metropolis marksman’s statistics within the graphic above illustrate simply how poorly he performed on the opening day, lacking three ‘huge possibilities’ within the scrappy 1-0 win over St Mirren.

The 6 foot 3 attacker’s output for the Scottish giants within the 2024/25 marketing campaign additionally doesn’t recommend that he’s suited to beginning week-in-week-out within the Premiership, as he was extra productive when coming off the bench in opposition to drained defenders to make an influence.

As you may see within the desk above, Idah was far simpler instead within the Premiership final season, scoring extra targets in roughly 1,000 fewer minutes on the pitch.

These statistics recommend that the Irishman is at his greatest when he’s coming off the bench to make use of his physicality – power and velocity – to reap the benefits of tiring defences to attain targets for the Hoops.

Which means that the Hoops must discover a participant, earlier than the top of the summer season switch window, to permit Idah to drop right down to the bench to play that position.

Nevertheless, it doesn’t need to be a centre-forward as a result of Daizen Maeda scored 14 targets in 11 matches as a striker, per Transfermarkt, for Celtic final season and will play that position.

In accordance with Africa Foot, Celtic are excited about a deal to signal Al Jazira broad attacker Oumar Traore earlier than the summer season switch window slams shut.

The report claims that the Scottish giants have already made contact with the UAE outfit to debate a possible transfer for the Mali worldwide within the coming weeks.

It provides that negotiations are effectively underway between Celtic and Al Jazira over a deal for the 23-year-old ahead, as they continue to be locked in talks to succeed in an settlement for his companies.

Africa Foot additionally reveals that it’ll take a suggestion of round €3m (£2.6m) to persuade his membership to half methods with him, and it stays to be seen whether or not or not the Hoops are ready to pay that asking worth.

The outlet claims that Traore is anticipated to finish a switch to a group in Europe earlier than the top of the summer season switch window, and Celtic are seemingly hoping that they would be the membership to snap him up.

Why Celtic ought to signal Oumar Traore

The Premiership champions ought to push to get a deal over the road for Traore, if he’s the winger they need to signal as this report suggests, as a result of he might permit Rodgers to bench Idah.

He’s a flexible winger who can play on both the left or the suitable flank, having performed over 30 matches on either side of the pitch, as per Transfermarkt, and this might make him a really helpful participant for the supervisor to name upon.

If Rodgers decides to make use of him as a left winger, Maeda would then be free to play via the center, the place he had success final time period, and that will permit Idah to maneuver to the bench to come back on as an excellent sub.

In fact, Traore nonetheless must have the standard to be an efficient operator in his personal place to make this switch make sense, although, because the Hoops might in any other case put any participant out on the left to facilitate this transfer.

As you may see within the desk above, the Mali worldwide has scored eight targets and created seven ‘huge possibilities’ in his final 25 league begins for his membership, which means that he can present a reasonably common menace in entrance of aim as each a scorer and a creator.

Traore has delivered 24 targets and 19 assists in 140 matches for Al Jazira in all competitions throughout his profession up to now, as per Transfermarkt, and nonetheless has loads of time left forward of him, on the age of 23, to develop and enhance his output on the prime finish of the pitch.

These statistics recommend that he carries sufficient of a menace within the last third already, if he can translate it over to Scottish soccer, to permit Maeda to maneuver centrally, the place he thrived final season.

Because of this the signing of Traore might immediately result in Idah being dropped right down to the bench, the place he’s at his greatest, regardless of the Mali worldwide not being a pure centre-forward to switch the striker.