New Celtic signing Adam Idah opened his ‘Welcome to Celtic’ Celtic fan media conference by pronouncing his surname for the benefit of the support.
A number of fan media outlets took part, including The Celtic Star where Jessica Elliott asked our two questions – about dealing with the pressure of playing at a big club like Celtic and also about any conversation with his pal Paddy Roberts who Adam had previously revealed had spoken to the former Celtic winger about the club and even attending a few games at Paradise with Paddy.
Incidentally that must have been the first transfer window in a good number of years when there’s not been a Paddy Roberts to Celtic rumour. Some supporters will be reflecting that the window was so bad we never even got that!
You can watch Adam’s Welcome to Celtic Fan Media conference below…
And the on loan striker, who will be in the squad for the trip to Aberdeen tomorrow spoke to the mainstream media too, the video for this one is below.
“I am delighted the last couple of days have been very stressful. Today is the first day when it has been quiet. I’m just so happy to be here,” Adam said. Asked when he found out about Celtic’s interest and options elsewhere he said: “Monday morning. I found out there was interest then and from then it kicked on but I was here, there and everywhere. I am chilling now but I am really looking forward to it.”
Opting to sign For Celtic was a straight forward decision for the Irishman to make and he’s not concerned about what happens next come the end of the season: “It was a no-brainer. I’ve always said I wanted to play for Celtic. It is such a big club. The gaffer that is here, the history that he has got at this club developing young players, I think this will suit me to a tee. I can’t wait to get started.
“I’m the type of guy that will take each game as it comes. I want to win games. I want to be that demanding. What happens at the end of the season we will see,” he said.
On getting minutes and forcing his way into the team, where Kyogo is the established first pick striker: “There is always going to be competition in the squad whether that be on the bench or playing with him it is going to be great for me. I’m still 22 years of age. Of course, I want to play as many games as I can. Look it is going to be exciting for me to play with him and all the other players,” Idah stated.
Ad a few Celts helped convince him to come to the club, with him speaking to two of his Ireland teammates about the club. “There are quite a few. I spoke to Liam Scales and Mikey Johnston and they all speak so highly of the city and the fans. It has got me excited.
Idah explained what he meant when he said he always wanted to play for Celtic. “That comes from my Irish background and my friends and family back home all support Celtic. We played Celtic in pre-season last year I believe and when I walked out into the stadium it was a big shock to me. It gave me goosebumps and I did say I always wanted to play here. I just didn’t think it would be this early but I am excited to be here.
“My phone was popping off last night. To be fair, all of the messages from the fans have been amazing so I’m very thankful for that. They’ve given me a big welcome, so I’m looking forward to seeing them in person.
Asked what the Celtic Fans can expect from him our new number 9 said: “I think I’m quite hard-working and a hard-working guy. I can link the game up well and I’ve got a lot of pace. If you look at my numbers on paper they might not look as good because I haven’t had that many chances but for me, I’m a confident player and I’m sure I can help the team quite a bit.”
The chance to win silverware is always going to be tempting and no club in recent times has won as much as Celtic. So does that prospect excite him? “100 per cent. I think any player when they go to a club, they want to win trophies. Right now, as I said, I want to take each game as it comes. Whatever happens at the end of the season, we’ll see.”
Training today and will travel with the squad to Aberdeen
On looking forward to playing for Celtic at Paradise he said: “I can’t wait. When all the fans were messaging me, it got me even more excited. When I spoke to Scalesy about the stadium, he spoke highly of it. It’s really exciting for me to be at such a big club and to play in front of these fans. It does excite me.”
Adam had this to say about his conversation with Brendan earlier this week: “We spoke briefly and there are little bits that he thinks he can add to my game and what I can improve on, which I agree with, and I think we’ve come up with a plan and what I need to do. It got me excited and I want to play for a manager that has a history of developing players and winning trophies. I’m looking forward to working under him.”
There was plenty of energy around the lack of a quote from Brendan Rodgers in the club’s publicity for the new signing that was published shortly before the transfer window closed last night.
The suggestion being that perhaps Brendan was less than happy with the outcome of the window – well, he did say today that the club could have been braver – or maybe reflecting an unhappiness that Adam Idah was the striker that the club brought in. That though was well and truly dispelled by Brendan Rodgers in his own Media Conference where he spoke about the Ireland international striker in glowing terms. Watch below…
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