"Unless a bid of £5m+" - Adam Idah's Norwich City future as Celtic circle | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

One of the Championship's form sides in the last few months has been Norwich City, who have turned a real corner since the start of 2024 and the pressure on head coach David Wagner has eased.

There were plenty of calls for the German to depart earlier in the campaign, but the return of Josh Sargent in particular has helped the Canaries into the play-off spots - a position they do not intend on dropping out of.

Sargent's comeback from injury right at the turn of the year saw Norwich regain their focal point up-front, but it also pushed Adam Idah to the side, having been in and out of the starting 11 under Wagner.

And when Celtic came calling late in the mid-season transfer window, Norwich were happy to strike a deal as long as they got another forward through the door, and when Sydney van Hooijdonk arrived on loan, it allowed the Hoops to bring the 23-year-old to Parkhead.

Adam Idah is currently shining at Celtic

With Brendan Rodgers operating a lone-striker system at Celtic Park, competition was expected to be stiff for a starting spot thanks to the presence of Kyogo Furuhashi.

Rodgers however is managing to rotate the duo just fine, and in his 10 appearances for Celtic so far, Idah has hit the back of the net five times.

Celtic were hoping that Idah would come in and provide the necessary competition for Furuhashi, who has only scored 10 times in 30 Scottish Premiership outings this season as opposed to his 27 in 36 in 2022-23, and it looks like they are both pushing each other to play better.

Should Norwich City cash in on Adam Idah this summer?

Crucially, there is no fixed option to buy for Celtic in the loan agreement they struck with Norwich for Idah, meaning if they want to bring the Irishman in on a permanent basis, they will have to go to the negotiating table with the Canaries and find the right price.

Norwich may very well be licking their lips at the thought of offers coming in this summer for an in-form Idah - and more clubs other than Celtic may come to the table.

Should the Canaries keep hold of Idah though this summer or cash in? And how much is Idah worth ahead of next season? Some of FLW's writers have given their view on the situation...

Ben Wignall

For all the potential Idah showed in cameos as a youngster for Norwich, he never really seemed to find a consistent footing at Carrow Road before his exit last month.

An FA Cup hat-trick four years ago against Preston North End at the age of just 18 really put Idah in the spotlight, but for the most part he was behind Teemu Pukki in the pecking order for starts for a number of years.

Small outings in the Premier League or Championship were never going to fully suit Idah, but injuries haven't helped the development of a player that arguably should be a Premier League starter by now due to the potential he had.

Idah had his chance to shine at Norwich this season when Sargent was struck down by injury back in August, but he only scored four goals following the win over Huddersfield Town in which the American got hurt, with his all-round performances not being consistent enough.

Clearly though, Idah's stock is at an all-time high thanks to his Celtic form, and that could be the place where he develops the best.

Should Sargent remain with Norwich next season irrespective of the division they are in, then there will be no space for Idah to start matches, and with what you'd think would be a willing buyer in Celtic queuing up, it's probably the right time for City to sell up.

How much for is anyone's guess, but Idah is an international striker and is scoring goals at a decent rate north of the border - a £5 million fee may be enough to prize the attacker away from Norfolk for a new permanent home in Glasgow.

Sam Rourke

For me, a lot here depends on what happens with Josh Sargent's future at Carrow Road.

Sargent is undoubtedly the Canaries' premium source of goals right now and his endeavours in the Championship this term have caught some admiring glances from teams higher up the footballing pyramid.

If Sargent was to be sold, I don't think Norwich should willingly look to offload Adam Idah in the upcoming summer transfer window, unless a bid of £5m+ came through the door from Celtic or another potential suitor.

It's sometimes easy to forget Idah is still only 23 and if given further time to develop and mature, he could cement himself as a regular fixture in the Canaries' attack for years to come, thriving off service from the likes of Jonathan Rowe and Borja Sainz, to name a few.

He's enjoying his football at Celtic though it appears and a lot will ultimately depend on what Idah wants.

The lure of playing in Europe with Celtic could be what turns his head and means he pushes for a Carrow Road exit, and if this does come to fruition, Norwich could and should look to move him on, for the right price.