I'm not massively sold on Idah at this point, his output to date is less than the sum of his parts for whatever reason. But, all the same, his size, pace and finishing ability makes him well worth a look for a team like Verona at €3m, especially when there's a try before you buy option built in to the deal.
In large part because (a) he's their main penalty taker and (b) Sergeant has spent so long injured.Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
On a goals per minute basis he's way behind Rowe and Sergeant, and if you add in assists for the new-tangled goal involvements stat, he's lower again; way behind Sara and on par with Hwang.
It would be strange to let him move a year after signing a five-year deal though - or part of the plan, of course
If it happens it could be the making of him. Sometimes when a player makes a move ~ It gives them a kick-start / awaken-er.
Not surprised the interest is from Italy. Best game I've seen him play was against Italy under 21 in Tallaght. He was superb in that game. Closest he's come at senior level was probably away in Portugal. He has all the attributes to be a very good striker. He's strong, mobile, quick and was prolific up through the age groups. This is probably the longest spell he's gone without an injury, so if he can keep that up and find some more confidence the move could be brilliant for him.
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Another positive is if there's interest for Parrott from clubs in Italy it might open him up to the possibility of going if Idah is there and doing well.
I love this move all around. He's stuck in a cycle of injury, inconsistency and omission. It is completely hampering his development. He needs time in a less competitive and less physical league to get a run and show he can be a player. I'm thinking of some of the big centre forwards that developed later and did so in leagues like France such as Drogba and Giroud. Not sure if they had the injury profile that Idah had at a young age either.
Ideal that the move is a 6 month loan with an option to buy. No obligation on Verona. They seem to have two lads that can play centrally - Henry and Noslin. Henry is 6 foot 4 but has a patchy record. Surely he will get opportunities. Prove yourself lad.
Celtic have appeared from nowhere to ruin everything.
Ugh. I would have fancied him for a good stint in Italy.
It seems he wants Celtic. I would guess a player from anywhere other than Scotland or Ireland would choose Italy in that situation. Top 5 league, quality opposition, great shop window, huge opportunity. I get the draw of winning silverware and being a 45 minute flight from home, but it doesn't feel like the right career move for him. Especially as their fans, as usual, have already made their minds up without ever seeing him play.
The thing with Idah is that he has all the attributes to be a great player, he's a big lad, quick and can take a chance when he gets one. But he just doesn't know how to put all that together and he doesn't impose himself enough physically despite his size advantage. I think he needs to go somewhere where he will be invested in and given the time and top level coaching he needs to become the player he could be. I'd be very surprised if the best place for that to happen is Celtic. Their supporters remain out of touch in terms of their standing and Scottish football's standing in the game and will turn on him fast if he doesn't hit the ground running.
Or alternatively they see that their team is 2 points ahead of a Rangers team that is winning week in / week out for fun and that has 7 of its next 10 games at home whereas Celtic have 7 out of 10 away. It's a no-mistake zone from here on in and maybe they think a "work in progress" striker shouldn't be their priority in this transfer window when proven SPL goalscorers are probably available.
I agree with the broader assessment of him as a player. I'd love to see him do well and maybe dropping to a standard where his club is likely to dominate matches will help him. I just don't think this window is the right time for him unless Celtic also buy someone like Aberdeen's Miovsky, as Celtic may well cash in on Kyogo soon. They have the distinctly mediocre Oh returning from Asian Cup duty soon. Chris Sutton, knowledgable about Norwich and Celtic, doesn't think Idah is an upgrade on Oh.
Last edited by Stuttgart88; 31/01/2024 at 7:24 AM.
In fairness, his finishing ability (and ability to anticipate a chance) has long been one of the weakest parts of his game. He's had some shocking misses this season for example - the tap-in earlier this month, a header six yards over from six yards out earlier in the season, the chance in the first minute against Holland. Even his offside goal away to Holland was a really poor effort that the Dutch keeper somehow fumbled over the line.
Exactly this
Was he? I honestly can't remember. I knew he was generally well regarded and seen as a likely senior player but I wonder are we "misremembering" his actual goal scoring?
23 goals in 46 underage caps is decent enough I guess.
But it's always a big final jump up to the senior game
If he was putting away all his chances he'd be the complete striker and well outside the reach of Celtic or Verona. I'm a fan of Idah but he has taken a step back rather than forward this season. Turns 23 in February so this is the time he should be settled at senior football level and progressing.
Some Verona stats :
Expected goals - 17th
Non Penalty xg - 20th
Shots per/90 - 17th
Shots on target p/90 - 13th
Long Passes Attempted - 3rd
Short Passes Attempted - 20th
Crosses - 4th
Im not mad on the celtic move as he'll likely be 2nd fiddle to Kyogo but Verona are in a completely different situation to Celtic. Those stats read to me like he'd likely, even with plenty of game time, be feeding on mostly long balls and some crosses. Nothing against that of course, hes pretty good with his back to goal. They struggle (like most relegation candidates) to generate shots, Idah struggles at this himself. Going to celtic they'd be expected to dominate nearly every game , more possession should = more shots etc.
Hes in a tough spot. Dont envy him here at all.
Last edited by Jd2793; 31/01/2024 at 8:53 AM.
That explains their interest then. Idah is a good 9, he can be used as a target but is a willing runner into channels. I suppose similar to a Shane Long type in what he offers (if technically better but less "energetic").
im worried about him getting more shots than he was getting at norwich. verona average about 2+ shots less than Norwich per game. Idah himself is getting 1.8 shots a game with a mid level champ team. can we expect him to start getting double the shots with a relegation candidate in serie a ?
Last edited by Jd2793; 31/01/2024 at 9:19 AM.
Distinctly mediocre Oh who's averaging a league goal every 120 minutes for Celtic this season. Wish Ireland had a distinctly mediocre striker like that. The nonsense that gets spouted about Celtic and it's players in here is unreal
Don't know, haven't seen Verona play so don't know how Idah fits into their plans other than what your previous post could suggest. I can see a striker (5 goals) has left Verona in January so presumably they need a replacement. That striker is the "typical big man upfront head the ball" type of player which Idah isn't.
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