John Hartson has urged Celtic to sign Adam Idah from Norwich City on a permanent contract this summer. The on-loan Ireland international striker has made a strong impression since arriving on the last day of the January transfer window and he’s done more than enough in the Hoops to convince the former Wales international striker that he has a big future at Celtic.
“Strikers are hard to find,” Hartson said, as reported by Scottish Sun, at his golf day yesterday afternoon down at Turnberry. “The fee to get him now will have shot up because he’s been success at the club. But he’s scored big, important goals for Celtic this season.
“When he first came in you got the feeling some of the fans were a bit nonplussed. They looked at him playing for Norwich, maybe not getting a game every week, and it was a loan signing. But he has done well. He’s big and powerful, he can run in behind and he knows how to finish.
“If Celtic can get him for around the £4m or £5m mark, it would be a great bit of business. He could be a great signing. It can be a gamble with new signings, but Celtic will know what they are gong to get. They know he can make an impact in games, they know he can score big goals and handle the pressure.
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“It’s a decision for Brendan Rodgers but I have been impressed with him. He seems a level headed boy who has a lot of attributes. I don’t think Idah and Kyogo will play together, but Brendan knows whoever gets the nod has got quality. You would think Kyogo is the first choice, but that can always change.
“When I first arrived at Celtic, my first thought was, ‘How am I going to get in this team?’ Henrik (Larsson) and Sutty (Chris Sutton) had scored 66 goals between them the previous year on the way to the treble.
“I went to see Martin O’Neill and he said, ‘Yeah, but Henrik scored 53 of them!’ They were a great partnership, but Martin said give it some time and you’ll have the crowd eating out of your hand.
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“I managed to get in after four of five games and in five years I never came out of the team. I came off a few times mind you! When you play with quality players it brings the best out of you. We had so much quality in that side, the boys were immense.
“It’s a different era now but they need that quality for the league and for Europe. I do think Brendan will be backed because there were a lot of disgruntled fans who though he should have had more in January.”
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John Hartson was speaking at his annual golf day at Turnberry for his foundation. The Hartson Foundation has raised awareness and made several donations to cancer charities all around Scotland for more than a decade.
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