Adam Idah’s move from Celtic to Swansea City came as a surprise.
It was just 18 months ago that Idah was brought to Glasgow on loan from Norwich City, much to the delight of Brendan Rodgers.
Competing for the starting striker spot with Kyogo Furuhashi, Idah scored in several vital wins in the title run-in.
His Hoops career peaked with the winning goal in a 1-0 Scottish Cup Final victory over Rangers – a goal which ensures he will be remembered at Celtic Park forever.
This led Celtic to pay £9 million to bring him to the club permanently, with the striker providing a return of 20 goals in his first full season – so his departure for South Wales for a financial loss was unexpected.
He has now made his debut for the Swans, in a 2-2 draw against Hull City – and after the match, their manager offered his verdict.
Swansea manager Alan Sheehan on Adam Idah debut
Idah was named among the substitutes for the game, with starting forward Zan Vipotnik – once linked with Celtic – opening the scoring for the Swans.
The Irishman replaced Vipotnik in the 64th minute with his side 2-1 ahead – but he couldn’t prevent the win from slipping at the very end of injury time.
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Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images
Speaking on Idah after the match to the club’s media channels, he said: “I think that when he came on we were a small bit stretched. We were a bit in protection mode.
“But I think Adam will be a very good player for us. I think within that, it’s a difficult game to come into, but we wanted to get him in and get him up to speed.
“It would’ve been nice to not concede in the 97th minute, but that’s the nature of the game. I’m incredibly disappointed, but I also know we can do better.”
It will be interesting to see whether Sheehan sticks with Vipotnik after his goal, or switches to starting their new £7 million man in their upcoming Carabao Cup fixture against Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest.
Will Celtic miss Adam Idah’s profile?
At six feet and three inches tall, Idah offered Celtic an outlet which wasn’t available in other options such as Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda.
Kelechi Iheanacho has been brought to Parkhead, making a positive start with the winning goal in Sunday’s match against Kilmarnock – but he does not have the same aerial prowess as Idah.
Johnny Kenny and Shin Yamada may both still be in the picture, but neither offers the physical profile of the Irishman.
Time will tell whether a lack of a ‘big man up top’ proves to be a problem for Rodgers this season.