Celtic certainly got the better of this particular January arrangement.
Adam Idah ended his loan spell at the Hoops exactly like he began it. The man who fired Celtic to a 92nd minute victory over Hibernian on only his second appearance under Brendan Rodgers marked his final one with another piece of stoppage time heroics, pouncing as Jack Butland fumbled in the Scottish Cup final.
Idah scored nine goals in 19 games, was responsible for several matchwinning moments, and left Glasgow with two trophies under his belt.
As far as January loan deals go, you would struggle to find one more successful.
As for Norwich City – the side who sent Idah to Parkhead six months ago – their own mid-season striker signing did not quite make the same impact. A striker who, had things worked out differently, might have ended up at Celtic instead while keeping Idah in East Anglia.
Celtic once wanted Sydney van Hooijdonk
“Last summer, there was a bit. (Celtic) is a lovely club, and I am a fan of them as well,” Sydney van Hooijdonk told the Pink’ Un, confirming that Brendan Rodgers’ side had shown an interest back in 2023.
“But the Championship and (joining a Norwich) team that is fighting for the play-offs was really nice. This league is at a higher level than that league.
“So I’m really happy to be here.”
Van Hooijdonk, as it transpired, wouldn’t be ‘here’ for long.
13 appearances, 130 minutes, zero goals. If Idah is the perfect example of the perfect January signing, then Van Hooijdonk is the epitome of the forgettable.
The now-departed Norwich boss David Wagner even found himself turning to youngster Liam Gibbs towards the end of the campaign, the reportedly £4 million-rated Van Hooijdonk stuck on the sidelines and destined to see a permanent move to Carrow Road slip through his fingers.
Corriere di Bologna do report, however, that a return to England’s second tier is on the cards. Albeit with Millwall, rather than Norwich. Millwall have enjoyed some success when targeting Dutchmen in recent times, and Van Hooijdonk proved at Heerenveen that he can be a prolific number nine if given the service.
Van Hooijdonk, destined to leave parent club Bologna despite the expected departure of Joshua Zirkzee, scored 19 goals on loan at Heerenveen in 2022/23.
Norwich City want £8m for Adam Idah
As for Idah, Wagner’s Norwich replacement is in no rush to make a decision on Idah’s own future. Johannes Hoff Thorup believe it would be ‘stupid’ to cash in on the Republic of Ireland international without taking a close look at him in pre-season.
There is also a sizeable gap between the fee Celtic want to pay and the fee Norwich hope to receive. HITC understands that Celtic value Idah at £5 million. The Canaries are looking at closer to £8 million, however.
Though Norwich’s sporting director Ben Knapper did give Celtic some hope that a deal could be on the cards when admitting that the second-tier outfit will typically look to raise funds via player sales before the summer is out.
“There’s always pressure on us here (to sell) because that’s our model,” Knapper explains to the Pink Un. “Whether we have to (sell) or we don’t, we want to and that’s what we define as success as well.
“Of course, we always want to build a team that can win games and get promotion. That’s always going to be the ambition. But as well as doing that, in order to be sustainable we have to try (and raise funds via selling players).
“So we put pressure on ourselves to do that. Every summer is no different in that respect.”
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