When Adam Idah was signed by Celtic on loan from Norwich City earlier this year, many had written him off before he had even set foot in Glasgow. His goalscoring record for the Canaries did not fill anybody with confidence. Well, the Hoops did make a mistake with that move and that was not including a buyout clause in the deal.
Half-a-year later, the player who had been written off before arriving has been signed by Celtic again. This time on a permanent basis. And for potentially a club-record fee.
The initial transfer fee is believed to be £8.5 million with a further £1 million in add-ons. So, it could take the move past the £9 million fee Celtic had shelled out to sign Odsonne Edouard from PSG all those years back.
Some unsure about signing Idah for a club-record fee. Nobody can question the ambition shown though. Is not this what fans have called for for years? The Irishman proved himself on loan at Celtic and the club have done everything they could to make sure he was brought back on a permanent basis.
Adam Idah makes superb Celtic claim in transfer announcement
Idah's desire to return to Parkhead must have played a part in getting the deal over the line as well. And he made no secret of it as the transfer was officially announced. As reported by the club's website, the Irish striker told Celtic TV after making his much-anticipated move:
"I think everyone knew where I wanted to be. It’s amazing for me and I’m delighted to be back.
"Within the first couple of days of being here when I came on loan first time, I wanted to play for Celtic.
"It was amazing to get all of those goals and to be in with the boys and to see these amazing fans week in, week out was unbelievable.
“I’ve never experienced anything like it and I’m just so happy to be back.
“I always wanted to play for Celtic and obviously last season was amazing. To come here now and be fully a part of the team and a part of this club is amazing to me.
“Everyone back home, all my family and friends, they all wanted me to come back to Celtic, myself included, so it’s massive and I’m just so happy to be here."
One can only hope that Idah's time at Celtic proves to be a grand success. He might not have been a great goalscorer for Norwich City, but he has certainly shown his ability to find the back of the net for the Scottish champions and in the big moments as well.
Idah scored 9 goals for Celtic after arriving last winter, despite featuring as a cover option to Kyogo for the most part. He also scored at Ibrox, and the Scottish Cup final-winning goal against the Rangers at Hampden Park.