Celtic could sign major upgrade Idaho in “explosive” swoop for £8.5m star

Celtic they came back Champions League action this week after a long stretch of purely domestic action as they prepare to welcome Swiss giants Young Boys to Parkhead on Wednesday night.

Brendan Rodgers will be hoping his side can secure all three points to move closer to qualifying for the play-off round of the competition, after his side crashed out in the group stage last season.

The Hoops were in great form at home. They are currently at the top Scottish Premiershipthey won the League Cup and on Saturday they beat Kilmarnock 2-1 in the SFA Cup.

Celtic are on course for another successful season under Rodgers, who won the Premiership title and the SFA Cup in his first year back at the club, after the board backed him strongly in the transfer market.

Arne Engels was brought from Augsburg for a reported fee of £11ma club-record deal for the Hoops, while the likes of Paul Bernard, Auston Trusty and Luke McCowan, among others, were also up for grabs.

However, one of the club’s deals from the summer transfer window could come under scrutiny as Adam Idah has struggled at times this season.

Adam Idaho’s form this season

The Scottish giant came across a contract with the Irish representative from Norwich City an £8.5 million dealplus another £1m in potential add-ons, before this season.

It was a significant expenditure for a player who spent the second half of the 2023/24 season. spent on loan at Parkhead and caught the eye with his performances as a centre-forward for Celtic.

Idaho scored the winning goal in the SFA Cup final against Rangers, as shown above, and scored eight goals in 15 performs in the Premiership.

The 6ft 3 marksman’s impressive form in front of goal in the final few months of the season has convinced Rodgers and the club to approve a big-money move for the striker, but things haven’t gone to plan for him so far this term.

His efforts in Europe were unsuccessful, with the return of one goal out of six plays in the Champions League, and in the Premiership he was incredibly wasteful in the last third.

As you can see in the table above, Idah has failed to reach the heights he reached during his time on loan at the club last season, with just five goals in 20 appearances in the Scottish Premier League.

These stats show that the Irish striker has not lived up to his price tag at the moment, due to his struggles at the top of the pitch, and Celtic have been linked with a striker who could come in as a major upgrade on the former Norwich man.

Celtic’s interest in the Danish striker

At the beginning of last month, Football Insider reported that the Scottish giants are interested in a January deal to sign Brondby centre-forward Mathias Kvistgaarden to bolster their squad.

The publication claimed that the Hoops had been monitoring the Danish U21 international’s performances in the Super League, while adding that the club is a long-time admirer of the striker.

The Celts were related to interest in the 22-year-old striker last summer, when his transfer value was is around £8.5 millionthey are still delighted with the impressive young man.

Football Insider revealed, however, that the Bhoys would be willing to wait until the summer transfer window if a January move is not viable, but their hand could be forced by interest from elsewhere.

Reporter Sky Germany Florian Plettenberg recently argued that Eintracht Frankfurt are eyeing Kvistgaarden, who he described as an “explosive” talent, as one of many potential targets to replace Omar Marmoush, who is set to sign for Premier League champions Manchester City.

With this in mind, Celtic should make a move to sign Danish side Dinamo before the end of the January transfer window to ensure they don’t lose out in the race for his signature, as he could come as a major upgrade to Idaho.

Why Celtic should sign Mathias Kvistgaarden

The 22-year-old star has been in impressive form for Brondby in the Danish top flight and his performances this season suggest he would offer Rodgers more than the Irish marksman has so far this term.

As mentioned above, the £9.5m signing from Norwich has not done enough in front of goal to secure a regular place in the starting line-up, missing ten ‘big chances’ and scoring just five goals in 20 Premiership appearances.

Kvistgaarden, meanwhile, has taken his game to a higher level in the Superliga this season following his return eight goals and five assists in 24 league games last term.

The Celtic and Frankfurt target has been a constant threat upfield for Brondby as a scorer and goal creator, attracting interest from clubs this month.

As you can see in the table above, Kvistgaarden has significantly outperformed Idaho at league level this season, with twice as many goals and four more assists, while also missing four fewer ‘big chances’.

The Danish star too scored two goals and provided one assist in three European Conference League qualifiers two goals in four domestic cup matches – rising to 14 goals in all competitions.

These stats suggest that Kvistgaarden would offer far more to Celtic, both as a finisher and creator at centre-forward, to maximize the high quality chances that Idah have scorned in the Premiership.

Now it’s up to Rodgers and the board to push this deal through to get it over the line before Frankfurt get the chance to swoop in and secure his services this month.