As Celtic have discovered in recent years, one of the most difficult parts of football recruiting is finding a consistent and reliable center who can score goals on a regular basis.
Furuhashi has been in this role with the Hoops for many years, even scoring 34 goals in all competitions in the 2022/23 season, but the club has struggled since his departure at the start of 2025.
Adam Idah is one of the signings seeking to replace the Japan international, who initially arrived on loan from Norwich City before signing permanently in the summer of 2024.
The Scottish Premiership giants agreed to sign the Ireland international permanently in a deal worth up to £9.5 million, but it proved to be a costly mistake.
How Adam Idah’s Celtics career unfolded
When Ida joins the club on a permanent basis in mid-August 2024, he could become the club’s most expensive signing ever if the additional conditions are met.
Ada arrives as Celtic’s record signing | |
|---|---|
player | cost |
Adam Ada | £9.5 million |
Odsonne Edward | £8 million |
who | £8 million |
Christopher Julian | £7 million |
Alston Reliable | £6 million |
Cameron Carter-Vickers | £6 million |
However, Arne Engels later joined the Scottish side from Augsburg in that transfer window for £11 million, making him the club’s record signing.
However, a transfer fee of up to £9.5 million is still a huge commitment for Celtic, and they have not been rewarded with performances commensurate with the performance of the player who has struggled in the Premier League in 2024/25.
Idah scored just 13 of 15 expected goals and caused Brendan Rodgers to miss 19 “great chances” in the league as he failed to prove he could finish chances effectively as the team’s primary No.9.
His poor performances in front of goal prompted Rodgers to cash in on the Ireland international after one season and sell him to Swansea for £6 million in the summer of 2025, a significant loss for the club.
Celtics find their new Adam Ida
Ida was an exciting signing when he moved to Parkhead as he had just scored the winning goal against Rangers in the FA Cup at the end of his loan spell and joined as an expensive centre-forward.
Dermot Desmond and the rest of the board replicated the hype surrounding Aida’s arrival, spending big money to sign another striker this summer.
Celtic have signed Denmark international Kaspar Hogg from Bodo/Glimt for a fee that could be in excess of £11 million, potentially making him the most expensive signing in the club’s history.
Journalist Michael Shearer described the move as “huge statement of intent” Desmond and Martin O’Neill said after the striker scored five goals in 12 games in the 2025/26 Champions League.
Hogg is an incredibly exciting signing for the Scottish giants as he has made 103 appearances in all competitions for Bodo/Glimt, scoring 54 goals and providing 22 assists.
However, the Danish striker has yet to live up to the hype surrounding his arrival at Parkhead, with his recent performance against Rangers in the Premier League summing up his early struggles in Glasgow.
vs. rangers | Caspar Hogg |
|---|---|
minute | 45 |
lens | 0 |
key pass | 0 |
created huge opportunities | 0 |
cross | 0 |
Dribbling | 0 |
Win the ground duel | 0 |
Win the air duel | 0 |
foul | 2 |
Hogg came on at half-time with his side trailing 1-0 against the Gers at Parkhead and ended the game without winning any duels, shooting or creating chances.
The 25-year-old forward did show some promise early in the season, scoring a hat-trick against Kilmarnock in the Premier League, but he has failed to score in seven games since then.
He has scored just once in nine games for the Scottish giants and his lack of intensity and mobility with and without the ball appears to be an issue.
Hogg has lost 72% of his ground duels in the Premier League and lost all five of his ground duels in the Europa League opener against Ferencvaros.
Like Ida, the £11m forward has not shown the consistency in front of goal or the intensity in his general game that would suggest he is capable of leading Celtic on a regular basis.
This is concerning, even though it’s still early in the season as the club paid huge sums of money for a center who at this point looks more like the new Date than the new Keigo.