Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has added a host of new faces to his squad at Parkhead during the summer transfer window ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Benjamin Nygren, Ross Doohan, Kieran Tierney, Callum Osmand, and Hayato Inamura have all arrived in Glasgow on permanent deals to bolster the group.
There is more to come for the Scottish Premiership giants, though. Whilst discussing interest in Napoli’s Giuseppe Ambrosino, journalist Pete O’Rourke claimed the manager wants a major striker signing, telling Football Insider: “It’s a bit of a surprise link, with Ambrosino – I think Brendan Rodgers would prefer a more established, marquee number nine to bring into his Celtic squad.
“Rodgers is obviously looking to make inroads in the Champions League again and would probably prefer a more established striker who can come in and guarantee him goals.”
If the Hoops go into the market to sign the ‘marquee’ centre-forward that the Northern Irish boss is looking for, it will be interesting to see what kind of role Adam Idah will play next season.
Why Adam Idah's role could be reduced
The Ireland international enjoyed a fairly important role in the team during the 2024/25 campaign, as the striker started 19 of his 35 appearances in the Premiership.
However, the 6 foot 3 marksman only started three of the club’s ten games in the Champions League, as Kyogo Furuhashi – before his January exit – and Daizen Maeda were often preferred ahead of him up front from the start.
In those 45 appearances in the two competitions, the 24-year-old attacker scored 16 goals for the Scottish giants, with 13 in the Premiership and three in the Champions League.
Whilst it was a respectable return for the Irish forward, Celtic may have been expecting more quality in front of goal from a player they reportedly agreed a £9.5m deal with Norwich for last summer.
Idah’s lacklustre finishing in the Premiership prevented him from adding even more goals to his record, and possibly prevented him from being a guaranteed starter, rather than just a regular one.
Daizen Maeda
14.95
16
+1.05
Adam Idah
14.77
13
-1.77
Kyogo Furuhashi
14.14
10
-4.14
Nicolas Kuhn
11.4
13
+1.6
Arne Engels
9.26
9
-0.26
As you can see in the table above, the forward underperformed his xG by almost two goals in the league, which shows that he was not as efficient as he could have been.
This is why Idah’s role could be reduced next season if the Hoops are able to find the marquee striker they are looking for, as that signing could potentially be an upgrade on the Ireland international, who would then be permanently resigned to bench duties.
A fresh report detailing the club’s interest in a forward from down south suggests that the former Norwich man is in real danger of a reduced role in the 2025/26 campaign.
Celtic in talks to sign Premier League forward
According to TEAMtalk, Celtic have made contact with Crystal Palace centre-forward Odsonne Edouard to discuss a potential return to Parkhead this summer.
The report claims that the Hoops are in talks with the player’s representatives to explore the possibility of a transfer for the French marksman ahead of next season, as Rodgers looks for his marquee number nine.
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It adds that the Premier League side, who sent him out on loan to Crystal Palace last season, are looking for a fee in the region of £15m to sell the attacker.
However, Celtic are hoping to persuade them to sanction a season-long loan deal, which would then allow them to make him a contract offer in January, as his deal expires at the end of next season.
That, of course, would mean that the Eagles would lose him for nothing, though, and that is why this will be a difficult deal to get over the line, unless the English side do not get any other offers from elsewhere for his services.
Why Celtic should sign Odsonne Edouard
Celtic should push to get a transfer over the line for the 27-year-old striker because he would come in to guarantee the goals that Rodgers is looking for this summer.
The Frenchman should be in the prime years of his career, age wise, and is already a proven performer who has been there and done it in Scotland with Celtic, which suggests that he could hit the ground running as an upgrade on Idah.
As shown in the graphic above, Edouard enjoyed a sensational time at Parkhead in his first spell at the club, winning two Golden Boots and four Premiership titles.
The former Paris Saint-Germain youngster, who was hailed as “outstanding” by Neil Lennon, is also the only Celtic striker to have scored 20 or more goals in three successive seasons in the past seven years for the Hoops.
24/25
Daizen Maeda
33
23/24
Kyogo Furuhashi
19
22/23
Kyogo Furuhashi
34
21/22
Kyogo Furuhashi
20
20/21
Odsonne Edouard
22
19/20
Odsonne Edouard
29
18/19
Odsonne Edouard
22
This shows that the £15m-rated star is the best and most consistent forward that the Scottish giants have had in the past decade or so, which means that he would return as a proven goalscorer for Rodgers.
Edouard only played six games in the Premier League last season, which means that he did not get a chance to show off his skills, but the striker did manage seven goals from 6.25 xG in the division for Palace in the 2023/24 campaign.
Whilst Idah has never scored more than 13 goals in a league season, the French marksman scored 15 or more goals in three of his four Premiership seasons with the Hoops.
This suggests that the potential is there for Edouard to come in as a big upgrade on the £9.5m-rated centre-forward, as he can ‘guarantee’ goals on a regular basis in Scotland, having already proven his quality for the club in the past.
It would be a terrific signing for Celtic, particularly if they can bring him in on loan with a view to a free transfer next summer, and it is one that could see Idah’s role reduced to riding the bench most weeks.
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