The striker that Celtic MUST sign according to club greats

The Welshman has been greatly impressed watching the 49-year-old blossom in Glasgow's east end during his loan spell from Norwich City under Brendan Rodgers' tutelage. Now Hartson believes if the price is right then the newly-crowned Scottish Premiership champions should jump at the chance to bring the striker on board. Idah's contribution to the Celtic cause since the turn of the year has been immense.

Danish midfielder Matt O'Riley currently leads the Celtic goalscoring charts with 19 this season. 18 of those have come in the league. Japanese talisman Kyogo Furuhashi has also chipped in with 19 goals with 14 of them coming in the Premiership. However, Celtic third top scorer is Idah who has bagged eight goals in 14 league starts for Celtic with every one of his strikes being vital in the title run-in.

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The 49-year-old who battered in 110 goals for Celtic in five years said: "I think Adam Idah signing a permanent deal for Celtic hinges on what Norwich City want for him. The English market is a very inflated one. He has scored eight goals for Celtic so far and every one of them has been vitally important to Celtic winning the title.

"We all remember his towering header when he rose brilliantly to score against Motherwell, his strike at Ibrox and the other goals he has got. They have all proven to be crucial in the run-in. I like him and I think he can get better with his awareness and bringing people into play. He has the pace to burn, he can finish he has shown that and he would be a really good addition to the Celtic squad. If I am Celtic, I would keep Kyogo and sign Idah if they can. They may have to cut their losses with Oh Hyeon-gyu as he is way down the pecking order now and we have to see what happens there.

"Idah has got something to give as he possesses good ability and he is one that if Celtic were to let go or give back to Norwich City he is a player that could come back to haunt you further down the line."

Last week Norwich lost out in the English Premier League semi-final play-off to Leeds United and parted company with manager David Wagner in the process. For the time being Idah's future may be up in the air but Hartson is adamant that Celtic should pursue a purchase and force a deal over the line.

He has seen enough to know that Idah can flourish north of the border and that Rodgers is the ideal manager to take the attacker to the next level as long as Norwich City are not planning to hold the men in green and white to ransom in the summer when Celtic ask the question of the Canaries.

Hartson said: "If Idah is coached properly then he will mature. He has all the attributes. He is good in the air, he is quick and he is strong.

"I just think he needs that little bit of guidance in terms of his runs and his hold-up play and positional sense. He is still a young boy and I think he could learn. That's why I think Celtic might go ahead and sign him. I don't think Celtic will pay £10 million for him but if they can do a deal with Norwich they might be keen to get it done.

"Brendan Rodgers really likes him which could sway it in Celtic's favour. I know the Celtic supporters will be looking for a name, a shirt-seller and there may well be room for that in terms of the budget. If you can get Idah for a reasonable price then I think Celtic should go for it."

Speaking on Sky Sports after Celtic's 3-2 win over St Mirren during Trophy Day at Parkhead on Saturday, Hartson's former Celtic striking teammate Chris Sutton hoped that his one-time employers would fork out the money and seal Idah's return. Sutton said: "I hope Celtic brings Idah back to the club.

"A change in environment has worked for him. His performance against Kilmarnock was sensational. I still think there are parts of his game that he needs to improve. It all depends on what the fee will be as part of the loan agreement was that there was not an option to buy or a fee agreed. If Celtic can get him for £6 or £7 million, I'd pay that."

"That is what the Celtic model is now. We know that Brendan enjoys developing players and I think he would be an excellent fit."

Former Celtic midfielder and manager Neil Lennon insisted that Idah was also the kind of striker who could help the club in the newly revamped Champions League competition as he is only going to get better. Lennon said: "I think he will develop more. I think he has great attributes and we saw him in all his glory against Kilmarnock.

"He was good with his back-to-goal. He is quick once he gets going. His finishing is something that needs worked on but it has definitely improved as the season has gone on."

"He is playing with better players and I think that brings the best out in him. He is also playing international football to a certain degree. If he came to Celtic permanently he would be an asset. In terms of European football, he has all the attributes to play at that level."

READ MORE: Celtic's Idah can be the 'difference' says Stephen Kenny

It was Idah's former Republic of Ireland coach Stephen Kenny who called it bang on when he spoke exclusively to The Celtic Way in March about his former protege. The ex-Dunfermline boss said: "Idah has pace. He is very quick. He has a real physical presence and technically he is very good. He can press aggressively and he can run the channels. He can be a focal point of any team's attack. He possesses all the right attributes that you need in a modern-day striker.

"The league flag will be decided by fine margins and that is why the goals that Adam scores for Celtic will be a major contributory factor come the end of the season.

"The late winners against Hibs at Easter Road and Motherwell at Fir Park may turn out to be critical for Celtic in terms of the title race as they could be the difference."

Idah's eight goals for the club since January yielded Celtic a staggering 16 points. Kenny thought Idah could well be the difference for Rodgers and Celtic in the race for the Scottish Premiership flag. It turns out Idah was a good piece of temporary business as he kept up his end of the bargain. However, you get the feeling that Rodgers is well aware that he could turn Idah into a potent Celtic player of repute as well as a 20-plus goals-a-season striker in the future.

The signing of Idah helped Celtic get over the title line. Now it's up to Rodgers and the Celtic hierarchy to help Idah sign on the dotted line... permanently.