With the transfer deal for Adam Idah nearly complete, a curious debate has emerged among the Celtic support: Is Idah a better footballer than Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski, who’s on the verge of securing a £6.9 million move to Spain?
Now, I’ve been clear about my stance. I like Miovski. He’s a good player, has scored a lot of goals for Aberdeen, and he played crucial roles in important games. If he had signed for Celtic, I don’t believe we would have regretted it.
He likely would’ve scored plenty of goals in the Hoops.
The dream summer window might have been signing both Miovski and Idah, which would’ve pleased almost everyone. However, a double deal like that would’ve been expensive. Still, with Miovski fetching nearly £7 million, it’s clear he’s valued outside Scotland.
The fact that clubs in top leagues aren’t showing similar interest in Idah might be why people are raising these questions, although you shouldn’t discount the simple fact that he’s been clear on where he wants to be.
That can be off-putting for other sides who might show an interest.
Everyone knows my opinion on the Idah transfer fee by now. It’s more than we intended to pay, and perhaps more than his track record justifies. But for all that, I believe we’ve secured a good footballer who will prove his worth at Celtic Park.
The discussion about whether Idah is a better player than Miovski will ultimately hinge on how well Miovski performs in Spain and how Idah does in Scotland. I’ve said several times on this site that with either player, you’re buying a certain level of certainty. We know Miovski can score goals in Scotland, but we also know Idah can score for Celtic.
That’s not the same thing.
I’ve seen plenty of players in the SPL who’ve been hyped by the media simply because they scored a few goals. Take Lawrence Shankland of Hearts, for example. We know Shankland isn’t good enough for Celtic, yet his scoring record surpassed Miovski’s and most other strikers in Scotland last season.
Over the years, a handful of players from outside Glasgow have finished SPL campaigns with impressive goal tallies and been touted for moves to this club of ours. I think we’re all relieved that none of these guys—players like Lyndon Dykes, Michael Higdon, Liam Boyce, Adam Rooney, and so on—actually did sign for us. Miovski is better than all of those guys, and this is reflected in Aberdeen’s transfer fee.
But there’s still a big unknown.
Few of those players would’ve been able to step up to the level required at Celtic. Our club demands more than just the ability to score; it requires mental strength and resilience. If you have a couple of bad games, you can’t let that get to you because the pressure is relentless.
Adam Idah is about to face more pressure than ever before, and we don’t yet know how he’ll cope. Once he signs the deal he’s no longer a loan player, he’s a Celtic player and must prove he belongs in that jersey.
Miovski would have been an unknown quantity because he’s never worn the famous Hoops.
We’ve seen Idah in high-pressure situations, scoring goals in massive games. So, we know he has the fortitude to play under intense pressure, and although it’s different when you’re a permanent Celtic player, we can be confident he’ll step up.
Had the support been given a choice between these two players, I’m sure opinions would’ve been divided. Some would go for Idah, some for Miovski, but I believe Idah would’ve won that poll. We’ve seen firsthand what he can do and that’s the crucial thing.
I would’ve voted for him myself.
This discussion is academic and, while fun, pretty pointless.
Miovski is moving to Italy, and Idah is almost certainly now returning to Celtic Park. This will generate interesting debates and put a bit of pressure on Idah, but I think history will show we got the better player and made the better deal.
Did we pay more than we wanted? Perhaps.
But £6.9 million for Miovski is a lot of money too, and that’s what Girona is offering. Aberdeen would almost certainly have attempted to add another £1 million if Celtic had been in the mix, just to save face with their fans.
So, we’d likely be paying around the same amount for a player two years older, with the added uncertainty of how he’d perform in high-pressure games.
But here we are with the guy who turned the game against Motherwell, scored late at Ibrox, and secured the Cup with his composure under pressure, helping us clinch the double.
So, if I’m not shedding tears over losing out on the big guy from the north, well, those are just some of the reasons why.
Yeah, yeah, I know Girona plays in Spain not Italy …
I’m glad Adam is coming at last, but this Lowball Lawwell approach has ended up costing the club more than it should have.
Leave the signing of players to the professionals, not accountants with unrealistic ideas about their own abilities.
Good article, I disagree with you regarding Miovski and Idah, I think Miovski is better but hey we all have opinions!
Keep up the good work.
We’ve watched Adam Idah paly in the Hoops, so there’s as much certainty as you can ever get in any transfer that he will do well for us. I’m looking forward to seeing how he progresses over the season.
We should,ve got both. We were at our strongest when we had 3 top class strikers. Henrik, chris and big hartson. Nobody cried about being on the bench. All fantastic, reliable goalscorers that made us think we were capable of beating anybody
Miovski too similar to Kyogo we needed different Idah fits that mould and more what we needed.
Miovski is moving to Spain to play for Girona not Italy.
Yep! Amended!
Happy with Idah (if and when he arrives) – I’m still nervous with This Celtic Board of course…
Miovski off to Italy then –
Get Shankland in for back up – If not he might well score a barrowload for The Sevco Huns !
Spain 🙂 My bad!
After tonight’s game. The huns can’t afford him
There is no debate. That’s who BR wanted and thankfully he got his wish. Whether he is right will be proved in time.
I just listened to an old interview with Ian Wright, talking about the pressure of playing for Celtic. It’s not something you can ignore when assessing players. Idah is a proven goal-scorer who has already shown he can handle it. I think he’ll do well for us. As for the fee, I don’t care – I’m just amazed that the board paid it.
Girona is not in Italy. They’re Spanish (or Catalan if you prefer). They are also part of the City Group, and run by Pep Guardiola’s brother, so not exactly a tinpot outfit. I dare say Miovski will be getting a decent wage.
Who knows, we might come across him in this year’s Champions League. Personally, I too would prefer Idah, because he offers something different to Kyogo, apart from the fact that we know what he can do for Celtic.
Yep amended 🙂
Another great article but aren’t Girona a Spanish team?
Yep lol. Amended accordingly 🙂
BR wanted a big strong rugged type. A foil when alongside Kyogo and a finisher and hold up man when on his own. Miovski is for me the more skilled but that’s not what BR wanted first and foremost and Idah showed last season what he had to offer. So I agree that Idah is and will prove a valuable asset to the team
Thought he, Miovski, was going to Genoa, Italy !
Usually agree with you but still feel we are letting a good player in Miovski get away. More rounded than Idah and looks a great fit for us. I’m not convinced Idah has enough about him to replace Kyogo once his shoulder injury sidelines him for a while. We could have signed both.
Idah a safer bet you think!?!? This depends who your talking to. Idah scored 9 goals for Celtic last season and that’s not too shabby. On the other hand Miovski scored over 20 goals for an Aberdeen team that couldn’t get out of their own half. I know who I would have pursued….. everyday of the week
It might well be more than we intended to pay, but Sevco have just made a generous contribution ???
Thanks for the correction!