Celtic must rue selling "unplayable" star who's outscored Idah for 6 years

Celtic were dealt a fairly significant blow in the recent January transfer window when star striker Kyogo Furuhashi decided to move on from Parkhead to sign for Ligue 1 side Rennes.

The French outfit reportedly agreed a fee of £10m to sign the Japan international, and that put an end to his three-and-a-half-year stay in Glasgow, having joined from Vissel Kobe in the summer of 2021.

Kyogo racked up an impressive tally of 85 goals in 165 competitive matches for the Scottish giants during his time at Paradise, including 34 goals in the 2022/23 campaign.

The 30-year-old marksman had scored 12 goals and provided four assists in all competitions in the current term for Celtic, which shows that he was still in top form by the end of his career at the club.

Instead of signing a replacement to compete for a place in the team at the top end of the pitch, Brendan Rodgers has trusted Daizen Maeda and Adam Idah to handle the responsibility of being the sole number nine in his system.

It has not been an easy season, however, for the Ireland international since he was brought back to the club on a permanent deal from Norwich City last summer.

Adam Idah’s form for Celtic this season

The Hoops reportedly splashed out an initial fee of £8.5m to sign the 6 foot 3 marksman from the Canaries on a permanent basis, after his return of nine goals and two assists in 19 matches on loan in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.

Idah has the chance to settle down and forge a long-term career for himself at Parkhead, but he has not had the easiest of starts to his journey to becoming the first-choice striker for the club.

The 24-year-old number nine has only scored 13 goals in 41 matches in all competitions, which is a solid but unspectacular return, and he has failed to nail down a place as a regular starter.

Idah has not been reliable enough in the Scottish Premiership for Rodgers to count on him to start week-in-week-out to lead the line for the Scottish giants.

As you can see in the table above, the Irish attacker has been wasteful in front of goals with the high-quality chances that have come his way, missing 13 ‘big chances’ in 15 starts.

There have been plenty of promising moments for the £8.5m-rated star, however, including his quickfire brace against Aston Villa in the Champions League.

It is down to Idah to finally take the next step in his career and become a consistent goalscorer at first-team level, as it is something that he has struggled with.

Since making his debut for Norwich in 2019, the Ireland international has scored 39 goals in 176 senior games for the Canaries and Celtic combined.

In that same time, Idah has been vastly outscored by a former Hoops striker who failed to make the grade at Parkhead – Finland international Teemu Pukki.

Teemu Pukki’s struggles with Celtic

Back in the summer of 2013, Celtic reportedly splashed out a fee of £3m to sign the Finnish marksman from German side FC Schalke, as they looked to replace Gary Hooper, who had signed for – funnily enough – Norwich that summer.

Hooper had just come off the back of a return of 31 goals and ten assists in 51 appearances in all competitions during the 2012/13 campaign, which shows that Pukki had big boots to fill.

Unfortunately, the £3m-rated attacker, aged 23 at the time, failed to establish himself as a regular goalscorer for the Premiership giants, with just seven goals in 26 league matches for the Bhoys.

Pukki did manage two goals and one assist in four Champions League qualifiers at the start of the following season, but that did not stop the Hoops from sending him out on loan to Brondby, a deal that was made permanent at the end of the 2014/15 campaign.

After a return of 72 goals in 164 appearances for the Danish side, the Finland international signed for Norwich on a free transfer in the summer of 2018, and the rest – they say – is history.

Why Celtic must regret selling Teemu Pukki

Pukki hit the ground running with a sensational haul of 29 goals and 10 assists in 43 matches in the Championship in his debut season with the Canaries to lead them to promotion to the Premier League.

Idah was promoted to the first-team in the 2019/20 campaign and had to watch on from the bench as the Finnish star proved himself to be a fine option in the top-flight of English football, scoring 11 times in 36 matches despite their relegation.

As you can see in the table above, Pukki provided a consistent presence in the final third for Norwich throughout his time at Carrow Road, as he never missed more ‘big chances’ than he managed goals scored in a single league campaign – in the Championship or the Premier League.

The impressive marksman scored 88 goals in 210 matches for the Yellows in all competitions, and 58 of those goals came from the 2019/20 campaign onwards – after Idah’s senior bow.

This means that Pukki has outscored the Irishman since 2019 without even taking his goals for Minnesota United FC or HJK Helsinki in recent years into account.

For what it is worth, the 34-year-old ace, who was once described as “unplayable” by Daniel Farke, scored 14 goals in 43 games for the MLS side and has scored twice in three matches for Helsinki – his current club – so far.

These statistics suggest that Celtic made a mistake when they decided to loan him out, and subsequently cash in on him, after just one full season at Parkhead.

The Hoops did not give him the time he needed to fulfill his potential and his form for Norwich, at Premier League and Championship level, which is why they must regret not being more patient with him as they missed out on a terrific, clinical, centre-forward.

With this in mind, Rodgers and Celtic must remain patient with Pukki’s former protégé, Idah, as he is still young and may need a bit of time to find his feet and emerge as a consistent performer in front of goal.