Former Celtic and Wales player John Hartson has admitted that he thinks Celtic's permanent signing of Adam Idah might not have been as wise a transfer as he and many initially believed.
Adam moved to Celtic from Norwich City after spending time on loan in Glasgow last season. After several weeks of negotiation, where Norwich City, the English club, demanded a higher fee, they eventually sold him to the Scottish champions for £9.5 million.
Despite scoring nine goals in 19 appearances last season, the Cork native has scored just five goals this year and has struggled to retain a starting spot under Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers, as Kyogo Furuhashi remains the first-choice striker.
Hartson, who had strongly backed the signing of Idah in the summer, spoke about the situation this week and admitted that he and others may have been premature in their enthusiasm for signing the young Irish forward.
"I think we all got, not sucked in, but we were all impressed last season," said Hartson on the Go Radio Football Show podcast.
Adam Idah of Glasgow Celtic (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)"He made a real hero of himself. A big name for himself. Scored some important goals, by the way, in the run-in.
"He hasn’t hit the ground running. One of the reasons is that it’s very hard to dislodge Kyogo.
"Sometimes, when you feel that you are next in line and not the number one striker, it can affect your confidence."
Although Hartson is frustrated with Idah's performance this season, he believes the responsibility for the signing lies with the club.
"I’m not going to criticise him too much, but I’m not sure who else Celtic had their eye on last season.
"He cost £9 million. A lot of fans might wonder if we could have signed a better striker.
"One of the reasons Celtic signed him was because he did so well on loan. He seemed like the obvious choice."
Celtic play Motherwell tomorrow at 3 p.m.
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