After his excellent loan spell from Norwich City, Celtic went all out for Adam Idah last summer and signed him on a permanent basis for a transfer fee believed to be in the region of £9.5 million including add-ons. That is a significant figure for the Hoops and the expectation was for the Irishman to develop into one of the club's most important players.
Unfortunately, Idah has spent the season playing the role of a backup striker once again. In the first half of the campaign, he was second-choice behind Kyogo.
Kyogo did leave in January as it looked like Idah was finally going to get his chance as the first-choice number 9 for Celtic. He did put in a few good performances as well, including an away brace in the Champions League against Aston Villa.
Ultimately, Daizen Maeda managed to establish himself in the role though Idah once again was back on the bench, playing the role of an impact substitute. And now, he has been tipped to leave the club.
Adam Idah tipped to leave Celtic out of nowhere
Is Idah's Celtic exit inevitable? So far this season, he has scored 14 goals in 45 appearances for the club, most of them coming as a substitute. As reported by the Daily Record, Scott Allan told Clyde Superscoreboard:
"It's not a bad return, but I think there could be more in there. Ultimately, you have to compare it with Maeda because he is the number one striker at this moment in time.
"Coming on for those final 10 or 20 minutes in games, there is pressure on you because you're trying to keep up with someone who is delivering week in and week out in Maeda.
"I think for Adam Idah personally, he has to be playing games and more minutes to improve. There's no question of that.
"We see it time and time again at either of the Old Firm clubs, where they have to move on to then develop.
"Further down the line, people might ask, 'Why didn't he get that opportunity at Celtic or Rangers?' That's the problem. Maeda is a better footballer. He offers more to the team at this moment in time.
"For me, long-term Adam Idah will have to move away to get regular football because there's no question that Celtic will be adding quality in that department come the summer again."
Idah is not getting the chances that he would have been hoping for when he joined Celtic. That is pretty clear. Every player wants to play on a consistent basis and that has not been the case for the Irishman.
For the time being, Maeda is the first-choice option up top for Celtic. But that does not mean that that cannot change. The Japanese forward has been linked with a move away from Parkhead on the back of his form and if he does indeed leave, that would open up a window of opportunity for someone like Idah.
Then again, there is the opposite possibility as well. That is Celtic signing another striker in the summer which in turn would see Idah slip further down the pecking order.