Brendan Rodgers rates Celtic transfer chances of signing Adam Idah permanently as he raves over big game star

Brendan Rodgers has answered on whether he will be able to sign Norwich City loanee Adam Idah permanently after Celtic clinched the Scottish Cup with a big win over Rangers.

A late goal from the on-loan striker sealed a 1-0 victory for the Hoops that delivers a double to Parkhead, a week on from lifting the Premiership title. It was not vintage performance-wise with Rangers controlling large parts of the game but as they did not take their chances, Celtic took their one big shot .

It was another important goal from Idah, who has netted nine times for Celtic since moving from Norwich City on loan until the end of the season. Speaking post-match, Rodgers was asked whether he thought the club could get something done over this summer in terms of a permanent deal. He responded: “I don’t know. The board will have a wee look at that. They (the board) know my feelings on Adam. It’s the reason I brought him in.

“He’s been a real catalyst for us in particular these last few months. I knew what I was getting. I’d seen him live in the Premier League. He was 18 then and he has all the attributes. I felt with some better positioning he’d get goals. What he has done since coming in, he’s a goalscorer.

“Different types, great headers, great movement in the box, pressure moments, penalties, and today he was like a number nine sniffing around the box for anything that spilled out. So he’s been immense for us and he is clearly something I’d like to do something with.”

Rodgers says Idah’s story is the stuff of dreams. He explained: “He was very clear on the role coming in. He had clarity around how I would use him in this period. He’s been a brilliant team player. All the players love him but what I love about him is he’s a big game player. So many big moments has has stepped up to the plate. Boy from Ireland, playing as a striker, scoring a goa in the Scottish Cup final against Rangers. Wow, what a summer he will have!”

While it might not have been Celtic at their stellar best, the winning mentality shone through to clinch glory. Rodgers added to the BBC: "Obviously for the spectators it was very tense. It's a game you don't need to be perfect, you just need to win and we did that by the end. We found an energy and a will and desire to keep pushing. Thankfully, we got a winner.

"I said to the players, when you're preparing for a final it's not about what you done the week before it's about the other 51 weeks. All the players, their mentality and professionalism has been unbelievable.

"It's been a fantastic season, to win a double. The problem is that when you win trophies, it becomes an expectation. That's not a problem. You can't take away what the Scottish Cup means for this club and our supporters.

"Rangers came in with a big motivation. We knew there would be challenges in the game. It's all about the defining moments and we were able to get the winning goal because of that."