The deal for Junior Adamu to join Celtic on loan from SC Freiburg is now official, with him being the first deadline day signing announced by the club.
The 24-year-old forward has been capped nine times by his country, Austria, and has made 29 appearances for his parent club this season. Although he has only scored two goals, he has shown promising signs across his career, and Hoops fans are hopeful that their club can help him reach his potential.
Adamu started out at Austrian side FC Liefering before making the move to RB Salzburg in 2020. In 2023, he jumped over to the Bundesliga with Freiburg, before now joining up with Martin O'Neill's side on loan.
Knowledgeable Bundesliga pundit Derek Rae has suggested that the transfer may not be the best thing for Celtic though, with his lack of game time being a massive burden on his performances.
Rae said on Premier Sports:
""This season hasn't gone all that well for him. He hasn't played enough. If you look at his goalscoring record, it's not great in terms of being a goalscorer. But, as we know in modern football, you can contribute as an attacker in other ways. He's fast and versatile. I think that's the good thing about him.""
Speaking about the drop from the Bundesliga to the Scottish Premiership, Rae said:
""Saying this about Scottish football vs the Bundesliga. He probably needs to drop down a level a little bit. Celtic are, of course, a high level. One of the highest levels that we will find in Scottish football. But the week-to-week competition isn't as great as it is for a club like Freiburg, who are also involved in Europe.""
Effective across the front line
As noted by Rae, Adamu is more than just a goalscorer. He is a fast, agile player who can offer cover across both wings, as well as at striker.
It is yet to be seen if he will be a regular starter right from the off or if he will have to play second fiddle behind Tomas Cvancara, who is off to a flying start in the Hoops.
Our available options on the wing are Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Hyun-Jun Yang, Sebastian Tounekti, Daizen Maeda, James Forrest, and the newly signed Joel Mvuka. Mvuka can also be played on both wings, and supporters will be excited that we have two new players to hopefully offer more creativity.
We can assume that O'Neill will likely opt to play Adamu up front, with a good prediction being that we will see him come off the bench for Cvancara during tomorrow's match against Aberdeen.
Adamu is someone who will be wanting to net in the Premiership, but Rae suggests that he will likely help more on the pace front than the goalscoring one. Seven goals in 67 appearances isn't great, but a record can be deceptive, as King of Kings Henrik Larsson had only seven goals in 31 matches when he joined the Celts in 1997.
Adamu's unique offerings
Some fans are comparing Adamu's style of play to that of fan-favourite Kyogo Furuhashi. According to analysis by The Cynic, he is a player who likes to run behind defences with quick movement, who only needs simple service to score goals. He also likes to press aggressively when the opposition have the ball, keeping the intensity high even when Celtic are chasing.
The general consensus is that if he is played in a direct system, then he will thrive and serve as a regular scorer for the Hoops. The other side is that if he is asked to play as a target man, he may struggle to find the net and get himself into good space.