ADAM IDAH isn't able to play his part for Ireland this week.
But he's still doing his bit for Celtic. And, when forming judgments around his displays since making the switch from Norwich permanent, it seems unjust if the starting point is his sizeable £9million transfer fee.
Brendan Rodgers has spoken long and loud about the importance of options.
Not just purely in terms of personnel but in approach for certain matches and Idah has a big role to play in that flexibility.
Celtic had to pay what many considered to be over the odds to get their man at the end of a longrunning saga.
Once Rodgers made it clear he wanted the striker, who pulled out of the Republic squad this week, the Norfolk club held the cards and that's just how it works in the market.
When assessing Idah's work, it's too easy to factor his transfer fee into the equation as opposed to merely his output.
That's fair enough if he cost £90m. But not really when it's £9m. And it cuts both ways with transfers.
If critics say Idah is not playing like a £9m man, then the same has to apply for Nicolas Kuhn because he's certainly not playing like a £3m man.
You wonder how Rapid Vienna must be feeling now seeing the German worth about nine times more than they sold him for less than a year ago.
Ditto Alistair Johnston for around the same price. Reo Hatate for less, same for Daizen Maeda.
This story is from the November 14, 2024 edition of Daily Record.
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This story is from the November 14, 2024 edition of Daily Record.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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