Celtic are on the cusp of paying £9.5 million for the signature of Adam Idah -stirred the green and white blood and captured the imagination of the rank-and-file supporters when news of the fee broke late on Monday night.

However, one could be forgiven for dusting down Chas 'n' Dave's number-one smash hit from 1982, 'Ain't No Pleasing You', in the process. Quite simply, there ain't no pleasing some Celtic fans at times.

A summer transfer deal that turned into a ridiculous saga - when it really shouldn't have - is almost complete. As the Norwich City and Republic of Ireland striker headed north of the border to undergo a medical all the talk turned to the 23-year-old's price tag.

Idah is not worth the fee. Why not? Norwich City have pulled a fast one on Celtic. Have they? Idah is not the man to take Celtic forward in the Champions League. How do we know that? He hasn't even played in Europe's top competition yet.

Some of these takes are wild. This was a player that the Celtic manager coveted more than anybody else. More than Bojan Miovski. More than Lawrence Shankland. There should be great rejoicing among the Celtic supporters that Rodgers finally got his man.

Celtic were damned if they do and damned if they didn't when it came to Idah. 'Spend the money' was the cry in unison from the fans. What? How much? Again, there ain't no pleasing some folk.

Let's weigh it all up then, shall we?

Back in March, Celtic sold Liel Abada to MLS outfit Charlotte for £11 million. So far this summer the club has also sold Sead Haksabanovic for £3 million, Oh Hyeon-Gyu for £4.5 million, Bosun Lawal for £3 million and Rocco Vata for a fee of over £200,000.

With the exception of Abada, Celtic have jettisoned players who were never going to cement a place in a Brendan Rodgers team and brought in a tried and tested striker who has proved he is more than capable of leading the line for the Scottish champions.

On the face of it, the fees alone for Haksabanovic, Oh and Lawal have covered the supposedly high outlay on Idah. That makes sound business sense. Rodgers knows the markets, especially the English Premiership and Championship a tier below.

There is a possible argument to say that Celtic may have possibly paid over the odds for Idah but in real terms, with the players that have exited the building, they haven't spent any of the surplus cash at all.

Celtic have also managed to get Benjamin Siegrist and James McCarthy thus far off the wage bill with the likelihood that the likes of Gustaf Lagerbielke, Yuki Kobayashi, and Mikey Johnston will follow before the August 30 deadline.

Idah's nine goals from January onwards catapulted Celtic to the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup double. His goalscoring exploits opened the door to the riches of the revamped Champions League.

Celtic are in the new Champions League league phase with a guaranteed eight games to play. Idah has more than repaid his transfer fee slice when you consider the Scottish champions are on course to rake in a whopping £35-40 million from participation alone as well as the various revenue streams open to them for competing in the greatest club competition in world football. The Celtic hierarchy will be rubbing their hands in glee at that prospect.

In that sense, Idah is a great signing. Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton probably summed it all up best when he posted on social media: "Good move for all… Adam, Celtic and Norwich City."

He wasn't wrong.

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If Oh can be valued at £4.2 million then the £8.5 million price for Idah with £1 million in add-ons (as well as a 15 per cent sell-on clause) should be argued as fair against today's standards and markets.

Rodgers knew his worth to Celtic immediately after the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park on May 25 when the forward notched the winner in the 1-0 win against Rangers.

From deep inside the national stadium auditorium, Rodgers signposted his striking transfer policy for the summer. He wasn't going to take no for an answer on this one.

The Irishman said: "Listen, the board know how I feel about Adam. That was my reason for bringing him in. I felt that he has been the real catalyst for us over the course of the last few months.

"What I love about him is that he is a big game player and in so many big moments he has stepped up to the plate. I was so happy for him. A boy from Ireland playing in the Scottish Cup final and scoring a goal for Celtic against Rangers. Wow! What a summer he will have. He knows my feelings, the club know my feelings and we will see what happens."

Failure wasn't an option because the optics of that particulate deal not happening would have looked bad for all parties concerned. It was a battle that Rodgers was always going to win.

He had earned it. Much in the same way, he has also earned the right for the Celtic board to continue backing him in the transfer market in the days that are left in the window. The spending spree should not stop at Idah. Rodgers should also be allowed to sign a new left-back, a centre-back, a defensive midfielder, a left-winger as well as another striker if he wishes.

The money is most certainly there. The men in suits cannot say that it is not.

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(Image: Rob Casey - SNS Group)

Here's a timely reminder of what that £9.5 million forward has brought to Celtic so far.

  • Two successfully converted penalties against Hibs that won three valuable points at Easter Road back in February.
  • A double at Fir Park in the same month that turned a losing position into a winning one against Motherwell for another crucial three Scottish Premiership points.
  • A late goal at Ibrox in April that should have been the winner against Rangers in a 3-3 draw.
  • The opener against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park inside five minutes during the impressive title-clinching 5-0 win in May.
  • The winner against Rangers in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden in May.

From January onwards Idah was crucial to how Rodgers's Celtic side went about their business at the business end of last season.

He will prove to be a fantastic piece of business for Celtic and Rodgers moving forward as he continues to do the business. Idah has more than repaid Rodgers's faith in him and justified the transfer fee.

It's fair to say Celtic's answer to the 'Ain't No Pleasing You' brigade is currently out in force giving it a lot of old 'Rabbit' concerning Idah's price tag. The Celtic manager had one striking priority this summer. He wanted Idah at all costs. He got his man.

Rodgers has probably also 'got his beer in the sideboard here' toasting a job well done.