Old Firm hero Adam Idah is chuffed to get the Chris Sutton seal of approval after the Hoops legend urged his old club to secure the striker on a permanent deal.
But the borrowed Norwich man admits any thoughts of granting Sutty’s wish are on hold while the Hoops are in the fight for the Premiership title and Scottish Cup. Idah has been a smash his since landing on loan in January with six goals in just nine games – including a cracker in last weekend’s Old Firm 3-3 thriller.
Record Sport columnist – and ex-Canary – Sutton has already witnessed enough to convince him the hitman is worth keeping. But Idah’s thoughts are only on the present though and gunning down St Mirren today before the Scottish Cup against Aberdeen next weekend. He said: “I honestly haven’t been looking into what I’m going to do. My main focus has been on finishing the season and winning as many games as possible. That’s the main target for me and the team.
“I don’t know about other players but if I look too far ahead it can affect me on the pitch. I want to finish the season on a high and then see what happens.
“Of course it’s a big compliment hearing things like that from great players. It does give you a lot of confidence when you hear the club might want you. It makes you feel really part of this club. I’m really grateful to be here and and I want to give my all to finish on a high.”
Idah is relishing the moment as his move north has paid off. He added: “I have got a lot more minutes, the manager has a lot of trust in me, the lads got used to me and know my style of football. When people have that trust in you, and when that first goal comes, you do become confident in yourself.
“Even little things, like having the fans behind you, is huge. That helped me a lot and motivates me more to try to do better.”
Idah’s dramatic late strike at Ibrox was cancelled out by Rabbi Matondo ’s even later stunner in stoppage time. But it could still prove to be a huge goal in the title race. Idah said: “It was obviously an amazing feeling.
“Getting a goal in that derby is crazy. When you’re a player who wants to play for Celtic, it’s probably the only game you want to score in, it’s massive. Who knows, at the end of the season, we’ll see. It was a bit like Covid times, it was a bit strange. It was a new experience.
“The aim coming on was to try to get a goal and win the game. I’m experienced enough now to know you need to play until the final whistle. We didn’t get too carried away and unfortunately we didn’t get the three points but we’ll take the point. It obviously helps any player scoring a goal, especially with confidence. I’m really enjoying playing up here. It’s probably the most confident I’ve ever been.
“People can probably tell that when I’m on the pitch and around the place, it’s probably the best I have played and you can tell by the goals.”
Idah admits boss Brendan Rodgers has played a huge part. He said: “There’s a lot of things he does with me and the other attacking players in training that you can see I’ve brought into my game. He’s helped me massively.
“When I first came in there were things we spoke about that he thought he could help me improve. Week by week I’m doing that and I’ll try and repay him as much as the faith he has put in me.
“Being that confident player is huge. When I was at Norwich, I wasn’t confident, I wasn’t getting minutes. It’s a difficult place to be in when you’re not doing so well.
So to come here and have everyone behind me, the staff, the fans, has been great for me. I’m loving it.”
