Being a bona fide Celtic striker comes with a massive degree of responsibility.

Of course, current forward Kyogo Furuhashi is no stranger to this pressure, as he has led the line with great distinction for the past three years under both Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers for the club. With Oh Hyeon-gyu seemingly not fancied to provide competition for the Japan international, Celtic will look to the transfer market for a striker to challenge Kyogo for that lone role in leading the line for the champions.

Over the past few days, two forwards have dominated the Celtic circles concerning potential avenues for the club to go down and pursue ahead of the new season. These individuals come in the shape of former strikers Odsonne Edouard of Crystal Palace and Adam Idah, who is contracted currently to Norwich City, having just returned from a fruitful loan spell up north.

In light of this, TCW's Tony Haggerty and Ryan McGinlay each give their opposing takes on who Celtic should target this summer...

Tony Haggerty - in favour of Adam Idah

Would you like to see Idah or Edouard sign for Celtic this summer? On the surface, it seems a simple enough question.

Confession time: I'm firmly in the Idah camp. I'll try to explain why. First things first, here is a wee bit of trivia did you know that Idah shares something in common with Edouard already? Except for Kyogo Furuhashi, Idah became the first Celtic striker to score against Rangers in the 3-3 draw at Ibrox in April, after Edouard had managed that feat in May 2021.

The signing of Idah was crucial for Rodgers last season. It won Celtic both the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish Cup. Nine goals and two assists are a testament to what the Republic of Ireland striker brought to the table. Idah scored eight league goals in 15 appearances - a phenomenal strike rate considering when he plundered more goals than Celtic first-team starts under Rodgers. No wonder the Northern Irishman wants to make Idah's stay in Glasgow a permanent one.

Rodgers glimpsed the future on the night when Celtic dismantled Kilmarnock 5-0 at Rugby Park to win the Premiership title in style. Idah was sensational. He was a throwback to a good old-fashioned strong centre-forward. He demonstrated that night that he could be a superb striker for Celtic. He also showed that he is a great squad player to have at your disposal.  Idah proved that he has an unbelievable work rate, as well as the hunger, desire and drive to be a success at Celtic.

In Ayrshire, Idah showed he had a keen eye for goal, he turned players inside out, bullied the opposition, ran the channels, linked up the play and held the ball up well. He was the pacy and powerful focal point that Rodgers had always envisaged leading his teams' attack. Idah showed Rodgers with his quality display that he was a guy who could be relied upon in the pressure moments. As Rodgers duly noted after the cup final when he labelled Idah: 'A big game player.'

Idah dug Celtic out of a hole when they needed it most. Think Hibs at Easter Road and Motherwell at Fir Park as well as Ibrox and the Scottish Cup final. Rodgers will believe that he can turn this guy into a 25-goal-a-season striker once he gets his clutches right on him. His hold-up play, clinical finishing, ability to run in behind and the biggest attribute of all - he can score goals - are what have marked him out as a no-brainer signing. 

Idah represents a different striking dimension for Celtic and whilst technically Kyogo is arguably the much better player, he possesses a physical edge that the Japanese talisman lacks.If Rodgers is to progress Celtic on the European stage, then he has to be allowed to do it his way. The 51-year-old clearly feels that in Idah he has a striker that he can nurture and develop at the Champions League level and that he could well turn out to be a difference-maker at that level.

There is no doubt that the sublimely talented Edouard scored some incredible and important goals for Celtic during his stint at the club but he had a languid style that many misinterpreted for laziness. That wasn't strictly true but he was accused of downing tools during the season where Celtic blew the ten after being denied a move and many supporters still hold that against him - rightly or wrongly.

Edouard has had to be content to play in fits and starts for Crystal Palace and has managed 21 goals in three seasons in the English Premiership. The Frenchman managed more than that total in three of his campaigns at Celtic. The re-signing of Edouard is one for the romanticists. I'm a hopeless football romantic but bringing back the old bhoy would smack very much of getting the band back together to try and recapture a moment in time that has been and gone.

As for Idah, he brings the pace and power that Rodgers desperately craves up top. He is the focal point in attack that Celtic need moving forward. The 23-year-old now has a proven track record of scoring in the Scottish Premiership and the raw material is there in abundance. Idah also ticks every box in terms of Celtic's transfer model. He is a young player who still has plenty of improvement left in him. Rodgers would improve Idah for sure. 

What kind of player would Celtic have on their hands in two to three years under Rodgers' tutelage? You would have the kind of player on your books that could command 'Edouardesque' transfer fees of course. (Crystal Palace lashed out an initial £14 million for his services with the fee rising to £18.5 million in add-ons.)

Idah's career trajectory is currently on the rise. Edouard's is sadly in decline. It is largely the reason why French Eddy is being linked with a return to his old stomping ground in the first place.

That's why signing Idah is a no-brainer for Celtic this summer. Edouard represents a glorious Celtic past. Idah is the future.

Ryan McGinlay - in favour of Odsonne Edouard

Before presenting this case, I must caveat this opinion by saying that I would be delighted if Celtic signed Idah, given his half-season record last campaign whilst on loan from Norwich. 

Indeed, nine goals in 19 games for a player not starting most weeks is a great record, and his goals played a massive role in securing Celtic the title for a third consecutive year. Clearly a supporter of the club, the Irishman has made a very good case for being signed permanently, with a fee in the region of £6 million and up being touted for the striker's services on a full-time basis.

Admittedly, however, this conversation changes when the name Edouard is uttered. Having been gone for three years this Autumn, the striker has found consistent game-time hard to come by at Crystal Palace, under the management of Patrick Vieira, Roy Hodgson and now Oliver Glasner. With just one year left to go on his current deal before it expires, now could be the perfect time to reunite the forward with the manager who took a chance on him following his PSG days.

It must be said that the respective profiles of Idah and Edouard are quite similar, even when looking at the players' first spells at the club - both were initially on loan. Both imposing front-men with a knack for scoring in big games, the pair have been thorns in the side of Rangers whenever they have been selected to play against Celtic's biggest rivals. In the case of Idah, recency comes into the equation, as he scored the decisive winner just under two weeks ago at Hampden against Philippe Clement's side. He also found the net at Ibrox in April, cementing his place as a Glasgow Derby favourite for the green side of the city.

Conversely, 'French Eddy' struck fear into the hearts and minds of any opposition player, manager or supporter in every season bar his last full campaign - the ill-fated 2020/21 non-event. Because of this, an urban myth has been created and - in turn - believed by many that the former France U21 international 'downed tools' during this period, a time when the striker scored 22 goals in a struggling side under Neil Lennon and John Kennedy's management. If that is downing tools, then would Edouard scoring 40 or 50 goals have constituted a 'normal' season? The argument is tiresome and does not hold any weight or truth to it whatsoever. 

Still only 26 years old - not 27 until next January - Celtic would be picking up a familiar face who is just about to head into the prime of his footballing career. Just 21 goals in 101 total appearances for his current side is not a great return, admittedly, but neither was Idah's in both the Premier League and the Championship. The emergence of Jean-Philippe Mateta - especially under Germany's Glasner - has meant a further reduction in game-time for the Frenchman, not to mention Jordan Ayew's existence as a solid - if non-clinical - option for The Eagles in the forward areas.

Just last month, Edouard stepped foot in Glasgow for the first time since his 2021 exit, when he was one of the presenters at the OVO Hydro-hosted Player of the Year award ceremony for his former club. A weird collaboration, especially since the striker was both still playing and still contracted to the club that he left Celtic for. Was he testing the waters concerning fans' opinions of himself? Stranger things have happened in football, that's for sure. 

Rodgers has shown that burned bridges can be rebuilt over time. As much as the 2020/21 season was a painful experience for many, those days are long gone. With Celtic now in the strongest financial position in their history, it is time to push the boat out and deliver the best possible football team on the park. While not as many bridges will need repairs as his former manager did last year, Edouard can rewrite his legacy with the club by rejoining and solidifying his hero-like status with those who adored him most.

We all love a redemption story, after all!