Celtic are back in action once again this evening as they prepare to welcome Falkirk to Parkhead in their first League Cup match of the season.
The Hoops won the competition in the 2024/25 campaign, beating Rangers on penalties in the final, and they will be hoping to lift it again this year under Brendan Rodgers.
They must first get past Falkirk, who have conceded five goals in their first two matches back in the Scottish Premiership, and it will be interesting to see what route the manager goes down with his team selection.
Rodgers could see this as an opportunity to provide the fringe players with chances to impress him, or he could go with his preferred line-up to give them the best chance of winning the game.
The Northern Irish head coach should hand minutes to one of his other options in the centre-forward position, though, as Shin Yamada and Johnny Kenny are both waiting in the wings behind Adam Idah.
Celtic’s number nine has started the season as the first-choice striker for Rodgers, but has yet to prove that he has what it takes to be the main man for the team moving forward.
Why Adam Idah should be on the bench
Idah did not do enough in the games against St Mirren and Aberdeen to suggest that he is going to be a ruthless and clinical goalscorer in the centre-forward position for the Hoops this term.
Whilst it is still very early in the season, the former Norwich City marksman’s statistics in the graphic above illustrate just how poorly he played on the opening day, missing three ‘big chances’ in the scrappy 1-0 win over St Mirren.
The 6 foot 3 attacker’s output for the Scottish giants in the 2024/25 campaign also does not suggest that he is suited to starting week-in-week-out in the Premiership, as he was more productive when coming off the bench against tired defenders to make an impact.
Appearances
19
16
Minutes
1,352
357
Goals
6
7
Minutes per goal
225
51
Assists
0
1
As you can see in the table above, Idah was far more effective as a substitute in the Premiership last season, scoring more goals in roughly 1,000 fewer minutes on the pitch.
These statistics suggest that the Irishman is at his best when he is coming off the bench to use his physicality – strength and speed – to take advantage of tiring defences to score goals for the Hoops.
This means that the Hoops need to find a player, before the end of the summer transfer window, to allow Idah to drop down to the bench to play that role.
However, it does not have to be a centre-forward because Daizen Maeda scored 14 goals in 11 matches as a striker, per Transfermarkt, for Celtic last season and could play that role.
Celtic make contact to sign new winger
According to Africa Foot, Celtic are interested in a deal to sign Al Jazira wide attacker Oumar Traore before the summer transfer window slams shut.
The report claims that the Scottish giants have already made contact with the UAE outfit to discuss a potential move for the Mali international in the coming weeks.
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It adds that negotiations are well underway between Celtic and Al Jazira over a deal for the 23-year-old forward, as they remain locked in talks to reach an agreement for his services.
Africa Foot also reveals that it will take an offer of around €3m (£2.6m) to convince his club to part ways with him, and it remains to be seen whether or not the Hoops are prepared to pay that asking price.
The outlet claims that Traore is expected to complete a transfer to a team in Europe before the end of the summer transfer window, and Celtic are seemingly hoping that they will be the club to snap him up.
Why Celtic should sign Oumar Traore
The Premiership champions should push to get a deal over the line for Traore, if he is the winger they want to sign as this report suggests, because he could allow Rodgers to bench Idah.
He is a versatile winger who can play on either the left or the right flank, having played over 30 matches on both sides of the pitch, as per Transfermarkt, and this could make him a very useful player for the manager to call upon.
If Rodgers decides to use him as a left winger, Maeda would then be free to play through the middle, where he had success last term, and that would allow Idah to move to the bench to come on as a super sub.
Of course, Traore still needs to have the quality to be an effective operator in his own position to make this transfer make sense, though, as the Hoops could otherwise put any player out on the left to facilitate this move.
Starts
17
8
Goals
5
3
Conversion rate
12%
19%
Big chances created
5
2
Assists
4
2
Completed dribbles
33
8
As you can see in the table above, the Mali international has scored eight goals and created seven ‘big chances’ in his last 25 league starts for his club, which suggests that he can provide a fairly regular threat in front of goal as both a scorer and a creator.
Traore has delivered 24 goals and 19 assists in 140 matches for Al Jazira in all competitions during his career to date, as per Transfermarkt, and still has plenty of time left ahead of him, at the age of 23, to develop and improve his output at the top end of the pitch.
These statistics suggest that he carries enough of a threat in the final third already, if he can translate it over to Scottish football, to allow Maeda to move centrally, where he thrived last season.
This is why the signing of Traore could directly lead to Idah being dropped down to the bench, where he is at his best, despite the Mali international not being a natural centre-forward to replace the striker.