Celtic were able to celebrate winning their fourth Scottish Premiership title in as many seasons after they thumped Dundee United 5-0 on Saturday.
The Hoops ran riot at Tannadice Park with a performance befitting of champions, with Adam Idah and Nicolas Kuhn before scoring braces after Ryan Strain’s own goal put the team 1-0 up.
It was a terrific display by Celtic and one that means that they can play Rangers in the Old Firm next weekend without any pressure to pick up a result to win the title, which would have been the case if they had failed to pick up a point against Dundee United.
The Scottish giants may have to play their rivals without Jota, however, as the winger limped off and was spotted in a protective brace during the post-game celebrations.
Idah came off the bench to replace the January signing and got his name on the scoresheet with two early goals in the second half, as he played a big part in the 5-0 win.
However, it has not been the easiest of seasons for the Ireland international since he completed his return to Parkhead on a permanent basis last summer.
Adam Idah's struggles this season
Whilst his brace against Dundee United may have made him undroppable ahead of the clash with Rangers, Idah has failed to nail down a place as a regular starter this season.
Celtic reportedly agreed a deal that could rise to £9.5m, with a guaranteed £8.5m payment, with Norwich City to sign the number nine last summer after he had spent the second half of the 2023/24 campaign on loan in Glasgow.
The 24-year-old marksman, however, has yet to live up to that price tag at Parkhead, as he has only started 19 matches in the Premiership and the Champions League combined, coming off the bench on 22 occasions.
Idah took his seasonal tally to ten goals in the Premiership with his brace against Dundee United. However, he has still underperformed against his xG in the top-flight, as shown in the table below.
Appearances
31
xG
11.98
Goals
10
Big chances missed
14
Big chances created
7
Assists
0
The Irish marksman has been supplied with a constant stream of high-quality chances to find the back of the net and has failed to make the most of his opportunities in front of goal in the league, as shown by his underperformance of roughly two goals.
His unreliable finishing may be one of the reasons why Brendan Rodgers has been reluctant to rely upon him as a starter week-in-week-out this season, hence why the striker has come off the bench more often than not in the Premiership and the Europa League
Whilst Celtic may not give up on their £9.5m signing just yet, Rodgers could ruthlessly bin Idah from the starting XI next season by swooping for a reported transfer target.
Celtic's interest in Danish centre-forward
Back in February, Football Insider reported that the Scottish giants have started work on a potential swoop for Mathias Kvistgaarden in the summer transfer window.
The outlet stated that the Brondby marksman has been a long-term target for the club and that they are now putting the building blocks in place to pursue a deal for him this summer.
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Football Insider revealed that Rodgers was unhappy with the club’s failure to replace Kyogo Furuhashi, who signed for Rennes, in the January transfer window and is now pushing for a swoop for Kvistgaarden.
The Celtic board must, now, work hard to get a deal over the line for the Danish ace, who is reportedly valued at around £10m, because he could take Idah’s place in the side.
Why signing Kvistgaarden would be bad news for Idah
Signing a new £10m striker would be bad news for the Ireland international because it could further limit his involvement from the start in the Premiership and the Champions League, particularly if Kvistgaarden can bring his form for Brondby over to Scotland.
Idah has been an unreliable presence at the top end of the pitch, as shown by his xG underperformance in the Premiership, and could find game time even harder to come by if Rodgers lands an upgrade on him in the summer transfer window.
Kvistgaarden has scored 20 goals and provided five assists in 32 matches in all competitions for Brondby so far this season, including two goals in three Europa Conference League qualifiers.
U23 scout Antonio Mango recently described his form as “absolutely sensational” and claimed that he has stepped up on a “weekly basis”, which is something that Idah has been unable to do, hence why he has failed to nail down a regular starting berth.
Kvistgaarden’s form in the Danish Superliga suggests that the potential is there for him to come in as an upgrade on the Irish centre-forward, if he can carry that form over to Glasgow should Celtic sign him in the summer transfer window.
Appearances
25
31
Goals
16
10
Big chances missed
13
14
Conversion rate
24%
15%
Big chances created
4
7
Assists
4
0
As you can see in the table above, the Danish sensation has scored six more goals in six fewer appearances, whilst also missing fewer ‘big chances’, at league level this term.
These statistics suggest that Kvistgaarden could offer a greater threat in front of goal for the Scottish giants in comparison to Idah, because his conversion rate shows that he is far more clinical with the chances that come his way.
This means that he could score more goals than the former Norwich City man if Celtic can create the high-xG chances that they have been creating for their current number nine this term.
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This is why Rodgers could ruthlessly bin Idah as a starter in the 2025/26 campaign by pushing the club to secure a deal to sign the 23-year-old marksman for £10m in the summer transfer window.
