Celtic continued to ramp up their preparations for the 2025/26 campaign with their latest pre-season clash against Portuguese giants Sporting earlier this week.
Goals from Reo Hatate, who scored from the penalty spot, and Luke McCowan in the second half secured a comfortable 2-0 win for the Hoops over the Liga Portugal champions.
Brendan Rodgers’ side have now won three of their four pre-season friendlies this summer, having also beaten Cork City and Queen’s Park, and they face Premier League side Newcastle United this weekend.
These pre-season games are primarily fitness exercises to prepare players for the upcoming season, but they also serve to identify who is ready to be a frontline option and who may need to take a backseat in the squad.
One player who has not furthered their cause to be a starter in the 2025/26 campaign is centre-forward Adam Idah, who missed several big chances in the win over Sporting.
The former Norwich City striker is currently the only senior number nine option available to Rodgers at the time of writing, but that may change before the end of the window.
Why Adam Idah may not be a starter next season
When Celtic agreed a deal worth up to £9.5m to sign Idah from the Canaries last summer, the Scottish Premiership champions may have been thinking that they had their starting striker for the foreseeable future in the building.
However, Idah’s performances in his first full season at Parkhead did not live up to the expectations that came with such a hefty price tag, despite the fact that he ended the campaign with 20 goals in all competitions.
That haul of 20 goals did come in 54 appearances, though, and consistency was an issue for the Ireland international, who failed to keep his place in the starting XI on a regular basis, starting 22 of his 45 appearances in the Premiership and the Champions League.
As shown in the clip above, former Celtic boss Neil Lennon explained that the striker needs to find more consistency in his all-round performances and needs to think more about his decisions on the pitch.
Idah’s inconsistency in front of goal in the Premiership was an issue for him in the 2024/25 campaign, as his finishing left a lot to be desired at times.
Daizen Maeda
14.95
16
+1.05
Adam Idah
14.77
13
-1.77
Kyogo Furuhashi
14.14
10
-4.14
Nicolas Kuhn
11.4
13
+1.6
Arne Engels
9.26
9
-0.26
As you can see in the table above, the Irishman had plenty of high-quality openings in front of goal for the Hoops, but failed to make the most of them as he underperformed his xG by almost two goals.
All of this together illustrates why Idah may not be viewed as a starter for Celtic next season, particularly amid interest in another centre-forward.
Celtic eyeing £7m centre-forward
According to TEAMtalk, Rodgers has identified Wycombe Wanderers number nine Richard Kone as a new target for the Hoops to potentially bolster their squad before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Scottish giants are lining up a swoop for the 22-year-old marksman as a possible replacement for Daizen Maeda, who is attracting interest from a host of teams in the Premier League.
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Brentford, Everton, and West Ham United are among the clubs eyeing up a possible move for the Japan international, who is valued at £25m by Celtic.
TEAMtalk adds that it will take a fee of around £7m to prise Kone away from Wycombe, and that is a fee that the Hoops are only willing to pay if they cash in on Maeda for a huge transfer fee.
This suggests that it is a transfer pursuit that could rumble on late into the window, as it is linked to Maeda’s future, but it is a potential deal that should concern Idah.
Why Celtic signing Kone should concern Idah
The current Hoops number nine should be concerned by the club’s interest in Kone because the arrival of the £7m-rated star could result in the Irishman being consigned to the bench for the majority of the season.
As aforementioned, Idah did start 22 of his 45 outings in the Premiership and the Champions League, which means that he started just under half of the games in those competitions. He also started 19 of his 35 appearances in the Premiership, specifically, as Rodgers gave him plenty of opportunities to shine.
Kone’s arrival at Parkhead, though, if they manage to sign him from Wycombe, would send the former Norwich man to the bench almost permanently, because he could be an upgrade for the Hoops.
The Ivorian number nine’s performances for Wycombe in League One during the 2024/25 campaign suggest that the potential is there for him to be an excellent all-round centre-forward for Rodgers.
xG
15.89
Top 7%
xG on target
16.84
Top 6%
Goals
18
Top 7%
xA
3.33
Top 8%
Assists
3
Top 32%
Successful dribbles
44
Top 6%
Duels won
240
Top 5%
Aerial duels won
131
Top 9%
As you can see in the table above, the Celtic target plundered 18 goals from 15.89 xG in the division, which shows that he was a ruthless and efficient finisher for his side, ending the campaign with five more league goals than Idah managed for the Hoops.
Kone, who was hailed as a “goal machine” by teammate Joe Jacobson, also ranked highly among his positional peers when it came to completing dribbles, winning duels, and winning aerial battles, which shows that he is also a dynamic and physical striker.
This suggests that the £7m-rated star offers an all-round presence at the top end of the pitch, which is what Lennon suggested Idah was missing from his performances, which is another reason why he could be an upgrade on the Irishman.
Therefore, the Celtic number nine could be sent packing to the bench as a regular super substitute next season if the club can secure a deal for Kone, who may have the consistency in his all-round game that he lacks.
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The Wycombe star has shown consistency as a finisher, a dribbler, and a dueller in League One, which is the same league that Matt O’Riley was recruited from, and his impressive attributes and performance suggest that Idah could be a bench warmer next season if he joins the club.