People saying that Arne Engels and Adam Idah were poor signings for Celtic need to get a grip, there’s bigger and better to come from both players next season

In the aftermath of the Scottish Cup final, quite a lot of Celtic fans have been criticising Arne Engels and Adam Idah.

Stating that they’re not good enough, and that neither player has lived up to their price tag.

Granted, both players had a poor game on Saturday, but the entire Celtic squad had a poor game, so why target just those two for criticism?

Well, the answer is pretty simple.

Their price tags are the reason they are on the end of severe criticism from Celtic fans.

And until such time as they become world beaters, they will continue to be criticised.

But what exactly do people want from these guys?

We need to put things into perspective here.

Before I go any further, if and when Engels and Idah become world beaters, and they have no choice but to because of their price tags, what is the most likely thing to happen?

What always happens at Celtic if players perform exceptionally at the club?

You don’t have to be a genius to figure that out, do you?

As I said, persepctive.

At the risk of repeating myself, in 16 months Adam Idah has scored 29 goals at Celtic.

The manager expects bigger and better things from him next season.

He firmly believes he has 30 goals in him next season.

Why would he state that if he didn’t believe it?

As for Engels?

In his debut season as a young midfielder at Celtic, Arne Engels scored 10 goals, albeit most from penalties.

But that in it’s own right shows a level of confidence beyond his young years.

He also provided 13 assists.

Bear in mind that Engels didn’t get a pre-season, and was thrown in at the deep end.

Yet people still say he wasn’t worth what we paid for him?

We’ve only gotten glimpses of what he’s capable of this season, but one thing we know for sure is that there is a seriously good player in there.

You don’t get to play a full season in the Bundesliga if you aren’t a quality player, as he did prior to joining us.

He also put in several man of the match performances this season, on top of a decent goal return.

So what is it exactly that fans want from him?

What is it exactly they want from him and Adam Idah?

As debut seasons go, I really don’t think you could ask for much more.

At the time of writing, readers are commenting on my article from earlier today and saying that Engels, Idah, AND Kuhn have not lived up to expectations.

I don’t know about my readers expectations, but a 50+ goal return from the aforementioned three players more than meets what I’d expect.

Especially taking into consideration they’re all relatively new additions to the squad.

I certainly think if the manager is looking at it from that perspective, he would think the same.

Kuhn has provided 21 goals and 15 assists, with 51 appearances.

By any metric, that is a successful season.

His form might have tapered off towards the end of the season, but he wasn’t the only one.

I’m trying to figure this out, but is it just down to the price tags on Engels and Idah?

Do people just see this as a stick to beat them with?

I have no doubt in my mind that we’re going to see an even stronger Arne Engels next season.

And when that happens, his value and his stock is going to soar.

So am I correct in assuming that Celtic fans want that?

They want his value to soar so that the board can cash in on him?

Because make no mistake, if someone comes in with a big offer for him, you know what’s going to happen.

I personally would like to see him develop here for 2 or 3 years, get him to sign a new contract, and then allow him to leave for a big transfer.

That’s because I’m a realist, and I know that’s the lifespan of any top quality player at Celtic.

But I would like to get 2 or 3 top quality years out of him before the board decides to cash in on him.

He was our record signing and under Rodgers, along with the correct development, he has the potential to be our record sale after Kieran Tierney, Felipe Jota, and Matt O’Riley.

To say that his debut season was not a success is not fair to Arne Engels.

The stats don’t lie.

Nor do they lie for Adam Idah.

These guys will step up another level in season 2025/26, there is no doubt about it.

I don’t know what represents a good season for these doubters, but I can’t argue with the return from both players.

Would I have liked them to contribute towards a winning performance in the Cup final?

Of course I would!

But they can’t be singled out for that performance.

That was a combined team effort to produce a piss poor performance.

There are a few players last Saturday who proved their time is up at Celtic.

Engels and Idah aren’t part of that group.

Watch this space…