Celtic Journalist Questions £9.5m Striker Deal: Did They Learn The Lesson?

Celtic Journalist Questions £9.5m Striker Deal: Did They Learn The Lesson? According to Celts Are Here , Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph has questioned whether Celtic overpaid for Adam Idah, arguing the problem started in January 2024, when the striker arrived on loan from Norwich City without a purchase option. Joseph had confirmed at the time that the loan contained no such clause. Speaking on Celtic Fans TV, he said Celtic could have written a £5m option into that agreement. He believes the timing made the oversight expensive. Idah scored nine goals in 19 games and hit the Scottish Cup final winner against Rangers , which lifted his value before the summer talks began. Celtic’s opening £4 million offer in July 2024 went nowhere, and negotiations dragged into mid-August before the clubs settled on £8.5m plus £1m in add-ons. Serie A side Hellas Verona had explored a cheaper move in the same window, and Joseph used that interest to back his case. Critics would call it a lack of “preparation and not desperation”, he said, adding that Norwich inflated the price because they sensed Celtic needed him. The deal eventually cost up to £9.5m. He said: “Critics would say that that should never have gone to £9.5m had there been preparation and not desperation six months before that when they brought Adam Idah in on loan, and all they needed to do was put an option to buy for £5m.” Joseph added: “So that price was driven up because they knew Celtic’s desperation.” What Celtic got for their money The damage looks smaller in hindsight. Idah scored 29 goals in 76 appearances across his two spells, including 20 in 2024/25 despite limited starts, then left for Swansea City on deadline day in September 2025 for a reported £6m, which leaves Celtic’s net cost near £3.5 million. The 25-year-old offered strengths, including a 6ft 3in height, sharp movement into the box and a habit of scoring after coming off the bench. His weaknesses were just as visible. Brendan Rodgers argued he needed competition to thrive, his open-play contribution drew regular criticism, and a section of fans never warmed to him. He is Swansea’s top scorer this season, which suggests the role mattered as much as the player. Has Celtic’s striker recruitment improved since the Idah deal? SWANSEA, WALES – SEPTEMBER 05: Adam Idah of Swansea City runs with the ball during the Sky Bet Championship 2026/27 match between Swansea City and Wrexham at Swansea.com Stadium on September 05, 2026 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images) Not enough, and the evidence sits in Martin O’Neill’s squad. Celtic paid a club-record £11m for Kasper Høgh in July, after Daizen Maeda’s sale left them without a recognised centre-forward, and the Dane has scored three goals, all in one half-hour against Kilmarnock in August. Camilo Duran cost around £6m, has 13 goals, and plays wide whenever Høgh starts. O’Neill keeps selecting the big man because he wants a focal point who holds the ball up, yet Celtic lead the Premiership by only four points and have won one of their four Europa League games. The Idah fee itself was defensible, since Celtic recovered most of it within a year. The real mistake was the missing clause, which turned a £5m decision into a £9.5m one. Joseph’s complaint is about process, and the Høgh deal looks like the same urgency with a bigger price. My view is simple. Stop forcing Høgh into the side, build the attack around Duran through the middle, and insist on purchase options in any January loan. If Høgh’s drought runs into the new year, Celtic will face a far bigger loss on him than anything Idah cost them.