Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers believes that the Hoops need to sign another centre-forward to challenge Adam Idah for a place in the starting line-up before the end of the summer transfer window.
The manager recently said: “He was at his best here when was challenging for the position with Kyogo Furuhashi. He really needs that real competition beside him – I think that’s what you get the most out of him.
Idah started the opening two games of the Scottish Premiership season against St Mirren and Aberdeen, but failed to provide a goal or an assist for the side.
Why Celtic need a new striker
The Hoops need to find a new striker because the Ireland international has not proven that he has the quality to be the main number nine for the club in the league, as further evidenced by his struggles at the start of the current campaign.
In the 2024/25 season, the former Norwich City marksman was significantly more effective when coming off the bench to make an impact as a substitute for Celtic.
|
Adam Idah: The super sub |
||
|---|---|---|
|
24/25 Premiership |
Starts |
Off the bench |
|
Appearances |
19 |
16 |
|
Minutes |
1,352 |
357 |
|
Goals |
6 |
7 |
|
Minutes per goal |
225 |
51 |
|
Assists |
0 |
1 |
As you can see in the table above, Idah has had far more success when coming off the bench for the Scottish giants since he returned on a permanent deal, which suggests that the Hoops need a striker to allow him to be an impact substitute.
It was reported last month that Celtic are interested in signing CFR Cluj forward Louis Munteanu, who is reportedly valued at £7m, and he could be a big upgrade on the Irishman.
Why Celtic should sign Louis Munteanu
The Romania international’s form for CFR Cluj in the 2024/25 campaign suggests that he has the potential to come in and offer more than Idah as the main number nine for Rodgers this season.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig described the striker’s output as “magnificent” and it is hard to argue with that assessment, as he scored 25 goals in all competitions for the Romanian side, per Transfermarkt.
Munteanu, who played for Fiorentina’s U19 team at youth level, proved that he can find the back of the net on a regular basis as a clinical finish in Romania, but it is worth remembering that he is not proven in the Premiership and there is no guarantee that his form translates.
|
24/25 season |
Munteanu (Super Liga) |
Idah (Premiership) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
35 |
35 |
|
Goals |
23 |
13 |
|
Big chances missed |
16 |
19 |
|
Goals per game |
0.7 |
0.4 |
|
Big chances created |
7 |
6 |
|
Assists |
3 |
0 |
That being said, you can see in the table above, the £7m-rated star does have the potential to be a big upgrade on Idah for Celtic if they can get him firing at his best in Glasgow, based on their respective performances last term.
These statistics suggest that Munteanu could offer way more quality as a goalscorer for the Hoops, because he scored ten more goals whilst missing fewer ‘big chances’ in the same number of appearances at league level.
This means that the Romanian forward is more clinical than Idah with the chances that come his way, which will be music to the ears of supporters after the Irishman’s three ‘big chances’ missed against St Mirren on the opening day.
Munteanu also created one more ‘big chance’ for his teammates in those games and could offer a similar level of creativity in comparison to the 6 foot 3 Irishman.
Overall, though, the Cluj centre-forward appears to have the qualities to come in as a big upgrade on Idah if he can adapt to Scottish football, as he could be the prolific number nine that they are looking for to allow the ex-Canaries forward to play his role off the bench.
