Adam Idah ready to smash Celtic goal barrier as fired up £9m man bullishly defends scoring record
Fired-up Adam Idah has told Brendan Rodgers he's ready to smash the 30-goal barrier and become Celtic's main man.
The £9million hitman found the net 20 times last season as the Hoops won a league and cup double.
But Rodgers desperately wants more ammunition to fill the void left behind by Kyogo.
Idah was one of the gaffer's most-used subs last term but is itching to prove he can lead the line full-time and reach that 30-goal benchmark.
He said: 'Yeah, 100 per cent. I said it last season.
'The more minutes I play, the more goals I'm going to score, and it's a fact.
'I scored 20 goals with the minutes I've played, which is really good.
'So I'm sure the more minutes I play, I'll score more goals and I'm confident enough in myself that I can get to that.
'It's only a benchmark, so hopefully I can do it next season.'
Rodgers is still working to beef up his attacking options, with Japanese striker Shin Yamada set to seal a £1.5m switch from Kawasaki Frontale in the coming days.
Another centre-forward could still be on the radar, while two new wide men are also on the wish list after Nicolas Kuhn's £17m exit to Como.
But no matter who comes in the door, Idah is relishing the challenge of holding onto his No.9 jersey.
He said: 'Look, the manager's obviously right. We've lost two big players that have contributed loads to the squad.
'So hopefully we can bring in some others that can help us out.
'Last season we had Daizen (Maeda) obviously doing well and myself scored, so we all did our part.
'The guys have left now, so hopefully we can bring some guys in now and go again next season.
'I don't think anyone's going to go into a club where there's no other players in their position, so it's something I'm obviously used to.
'At the end of the day, we're a team and we want to win games, win competitions and trophies, and we need the best players we can to do that.
'So I think regardless who we sign, I think the whole team will be happy for it, and they'll add a really positive quality to the team.'
Idah has risen to the occasion with three Old Firm goals and a Champions League double away to Aston Villa.
He's also become a key player for the Republic of Ireland and is highly rated by international boss Heimir Hallgrímsson.
The 2024 Scottish Cup Final match-winning hero said: 'I think I've been like that my whole career, to be honest.
'I've scored in a lot of big games, but now I want to kick forward and score in every other game.
'The big games are great to score in, but I want to be consistent now, and I think that's the big learning for me.
'I want to be the striker that plays every game and scores every game, every second game.
'It's not about just the one big game, you want to do it consistently and I think that's where the biggest players are the best.'
While Idah is confident he can score a barrel load of goals, the ex-Norwich City star knows there's more to come after his first full campaign in Glasgow.
The Cork-born ace said: 'I thought it was a really good season.
"Obviously, the end didn't go our way, but personally I thought I had a good season.
"Of course, there can be a lot to improve on.
'But I think from my first full season at Celtic, it's been really good to return 20 goals.
'I don't think that's easy at such a big club.
'Scoring in the Champions League and all sorts is a really good stuff for me, so I'm really looking forward to my next season.
'It was my first full season being the number nine at Celtic.
'There were a lot of things that I learnt over the course of that season, which I can hopefully bring into this season, so I'm really looking forward to going into the new one now.'
Idah and his teammates have been working up a sweat in the heat of Lisbon as their pre-season camp continues.
Celts have been training in the shadow of the Estadio Nacional, where Jock Stein's legendary Lisbon Lions made history in 1967.
Rodgers treated his stars to a special visit to the sacred ground before heading to the Algarve for the next leg of their Portugal tour.
Idah added: 'It's a big part of the club.
'It was nice for all of us to go and see it. I'm sure for the boys who probably don't know too much about Celtic, it was nice for them to see the stadium.
"It's massive for us as a club, so it was fantastic for everyone to see.'
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