Celtic

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

I was reminded this week of the legendary retort from the late, great Tommy Gemmell.

Celtic's rampaging full-back had been asked about the goal he scored in the European Cup final. With a twinkle in his eye, the reply came back quick as a flash: "Which one?!"

It's oft forgotten the famous 1967 goal with the Lisbon Lions was followed by the opener in the San Siro against Feyenoord three years later.

It's the lesser known of the two because the Dutch side came back to win 2-1. Two goals in two European Cup finals. Not bad for a defender, is it?

Why was I thinking about this? I'd written a line about Jota, the returning Portuguese wing wizard, describing him as Celtic's '£25m man'.

The ghost of Gemmell then prodded me from above: 'Which one?' There are, astonishingly enough, three recent Celtic players who've been sold for around £25m: Jota to Al-Ittihad, Matt O'Riley to Brighton and Kieran Tierney to Arsenal.

That is £75m in transfer fees for three players in five years. Two of whom will be back in the hoops before long effectively for nothing, although Celtic did lose Kyogo Furuhashi to Rennes. It is, nonetheless, remarkable business from Celtic plc.

It was only around Christmas 2023 that several Celtic fans stood up near us in the media seats furiously waving their wallets at the adjacent club directors. Their beef? The club wasn't being loose enough with the purse strings.

I would imagine those same board members are feeling pretty good about themselves - and their club - at the moment. Set for another Premiership title. Well fancied for another domestic clean sweep. A money-spinning Champions League play-off against Real Madrid or Bayern Munich to come.

All of this with record cash reserves lodged at the bank. The three '£25m men' are complemented by the megabucks departures in recent years of Liel Abada, Josip Juranovic, Jeremie Frimpong, Moussa Dembele, Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer. Add Kyogo's fee into that lot and you won't be a kick of the ball away from £80m.

Celtic were able to spend £26m this season alone on Adam Idah, Arne Engels and Auston Trusty. Jota is back. Tierney is coming back. Those won't be insignificant wages. Which begs the question: Just how far is this new big-spending Celtic board prepared to push the boat out?

Another couple of key signings could not only increase the club's ability to deal with their mighty European assignment, it would also greatly enhance Rodgers' hand when it comes to negotiating tricky Champions League qualifiers in the summer.

Kyogo needs replacing and cover is required in defence. If players do arrive, especially for big fees, in what remains of this transfer window, few fans could still quibble about the level of Celtic's spending or the club's ambition.

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Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter at Villa Park

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"If we play our game, do our thing and collectively and individually do our jobs, I back us against anybody."

Bayern Munich or Real Madrid await Celtic in the play-off round of the Champions League, but Auston Trusty has no fear of either European giant.

The defender was proud of his side's spirit in their 4-2 defeat to Aston Villa which confirmed they would face a two-legged play-off next month, and insisted he and his team-mates attack it "the Celtic way".

"Whoever we get, we just have to approach it our way, approach it the Celtic way and maintain confidence and go out there and give it a go and win the game," the American said after the match at Villa Park.

Celtic were 2-0 down and sinking inside five minutes in Birmingham, and fears of a Dortmund drubbing repeat were alive.

However, the team battled back to make it 2-2 at half-time and Trusty said that is testament to their mentality.

"A lot of teams at this level can kind of buckle, but it shows the true backbone of the team to bounce back and really give it a go," he added.

"It's our mentality and mindset. This team has had lows before, this team has had highs before, so when you have lows, you see how teams react and how your team-mates react, but we all have each other's back and we keep going."

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter at Villa Park

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Liam Scales is backing fellow Republic of Ireland international Adam Idah to "kick on and keep scoring" after ending his barren spell against Aston Villa in the Champions League.

The Celtic striker hadn't scored since the end of November but netted a clever first-half double in the final league phase game at Villa Park.

Scales insists that's all the 23-year-old needed and will continue to show he "is the man to lead" Brendan Rodgers' side in the wake of Kyogo Furjuhashi's exit.

"I'm delighted for Adam because all he needed was to hit the back of the net," Scales said after the 4-2 defeat in Birmingham.

"He's doing everything else right. He's still working hard and holding the ball up for us and linking play, it was just about him hitting the back of the net and he's done that now, so I think he'll kick on and keep scoring for us.

"They were good finishes. The first one especially, the instinctiveness, it's a brilliant finish."

The sort of finish the Japan international produced during his time at the club before he departed for Rennes. Scales is adamant, though, that Idah can fill the void of the iconic Kyogo.

"Without a doubt," he added. "Adam's top class.

"He's been brilliant since coming in. He's obviously gone through a little bit of a spell where he's scored many goals, but that happens to all world-class strikers. It happens to everyone, so I think he's the man to lead us."

We asked for your views on Celtic's 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa in the Champions League.

Here are some of your comments:

Mark: Overall, proud of the performance. The fight we showed after going 2-0 down so quickly shows a team with a lot of character. Delighted Adam Idah scored a couple of great goals to boost his confidence. We made it too easy at times but Villa are a top team so we can hold our heads high.

Stephen: A great game to watch. Poor start, came back brilliantly to be level at half-time. Idah's performance and two goals were first class. Bayern or Real next round. Hopefully that will entice players to Celtic Park before transfer window closes.

Neil: After five minutes I was having Dortmund flashbacks! We bounced back well. I have questioned Idah's desire, but great credit to him. His best performance in a Celtic shirt. We rode our luck in second half and didn't capitulate. Small individual errors at this level get ruthlessly punished. Overall, an excellent group-stage performance.

Steven: Fair play we fought back brilliantly. But we were dreadful at the back and every attack was a possible goal for Villa. No confidence without Cameron Carter-Vickers. Madrid or Bayern could have been avoided!

Patrick: Very poor defensively, but a solid performance from Idah kept us in the game for a while. A shame we didn't get a better result, but only our second loss in eight Champions League games is something to be proud of. Unfortunately I doubt we'll progress beyond the next round, so we need to build on this next season.

Mark: Celtic played well with depleted squad. Cracking tie to look forward to - either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid will be tough but we'll give it our best shot whoever it is.

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• Adam Idah has scored 3 goals in the 2024/2025 Champions League (2 in this game), no Celtic player has more.

• Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers became the first player in Champions League history to score twice in the opening five minutes of a game. Indeed, there were just 90 seconds between his goals.

• Celtic have qualified for the Champions League knockout phase despite losing 7-1 to Borussia Dortmund earlier this season. They are the first side to lose a game by 6+ goals in the group stage but still qualify for the knockouts.

• Morgan Rogers is just the second Aston Villa player to score a hat-trick in the European Cup/Champions League after Gary Shaw against Dinamo Bucharest in November 1982.

• Adam Idah became the first Celtic player to score at least two goals in an away game in the European Cup/Champions League since Johannes Edvaldsson and Robert Lennox both netted braces against Jeunesse d'Esch in September 1977. Indeed, there were just 145 seconds between his goals at Villa Park.

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Manchester United left-back Tyrell Malacia features on a list of Celtic loan options if they fail to land Arsenal's Kieran Tierney before the transfer deadline, with the Premier League club willing to listen to proposals for the 25-year-old Dutchman. (Daily Mail), external

Barcelona left-back Alex Valle has completed a medical with Serie A club Como after his loan to Celtic was cut short. (Sky Sports), external

Celtic are in talks with Brondby over a possible deal for striker Mathias Kvistgaarden, but the Danish club are holding out for a record fee in excess of £10m for the 22-year-old. (Sky Sports), external

Celtic fringe winger Luis Palma is poised to join Olympiakos, with the 25-year-old having previously played in Greece with Aris. (Daily Record), external

Celtic right-back Josh Dede was having a medical on Wednesday after the 19-year-old agreed a deal to join Middlesbrough. (Football Insider), external

Celtic face a possible further Uefa sanction after a smoke bomb was thrown on to the pitch during Wednesday's Champions League tie against Aston Villa, European football's governing body having threatened a one-match ban on away fans if there was another incidence in the next two years following a similar incident in Dortmund. (The National), external

Celtic have earned nearly £27m in the league phase of the Champions League. (The Herald), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Adam Idah says he is relishing the challenge of becoming Celtic's first-choice striker, and believes more goals will follow after his two impressive strikes against Aston Villa in the Champions League.

Idah reacted well to volley home Greg Taylor's deflected cross before sweeping home Reo Hatate's square ball to bring Celtic level at half-time.

The Premier League side proved too strong after the break, eventually running out 4-2 winners, which left Idah with contrasting emotions.

"On a personal note it's obviously great to get the two goals and get the team back in, but it's obviously quite disappointing with the result," he told BBC Scotland.

With Kyogo's departure to French club Rennes this month, some have questioned whether Idah is the man to fill the Japanese striker's boots, but the former Norwich City man is determined to take his chance.

"I think any striker wants to play all the time and Kyogo has been fantastic," he added.

"He's a legend at the club and it was good playing with him, watching him. He was an unbelievable player but now it's up to me. I've got big boots to fill and it's great motivation. I just want to keep the spot now and keep going.

"All I can do is give my best for the team and when I do get that chance, try and take it. It's part of football."

Before his two strikes in Birmingham, Idah hadn't scored since 30 November, but he insists he didn't think he had a point to prove to himself or his manager.

"I've obviously not scored in a couple of games, but I'm probably going to have that so many times in my career," he said.

"It's not the end of the world to me. Of course, it's a bonus to get the goals, but for me it's alright, once I work hard, the goals will come. I've been through it before.

"It's good for me to get my confidence up, getting on the scoresheet, giving me that motivation to want more."

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has spoke of his pride at "playing our part in a really good game".

"It was a brilliant game to be involved in. The word that strikes me at the moment is pride.

"We're coming to a team that over the last couple of years have been at the highest level in the PL. We played with so much courage.

"They get the first goal and a quick second and then there's a question asked of you as a team, everything about you. But the players continued to play, we started to get into contention, got our aggression back and that gave us the opportunity.

"We scored two very good goals, and overall to take the game to injury time was a great effort. We're obviously disappointed to lose but we played our part in a really good game.

"That was always the objective, to come in and be competitive at this level. You see the work we need to do to improve the squad, to really be able to sustain that challenge. We were having to bring on young players who haven't played for Celtic before."

On the draw, Rodgers added, "it's a huge challenge".

"We have qualified on merit and showed quality on the way. We carried threat throughout the night. Just unfortunate we concede the fourth late on with the mistake.

"We know it's either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the next round, so that'll be a huge challenge. We're building confidence and showing we're a team that can play and make it difficult for the top teams.

"Whoever we play are clearly top-level teams."

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter at Villa Park

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When Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers scored twice inside the opening five minutes, you feared the worst for Celtic.

Villa's movement, their slick passing and the quickness of their play was scintillating and Celtic must have wondered what had hit them.

It could have knocked the stuffing out of them, but in fairness to the Scottish champions they grew into the match and started to get forward and create chances.

That seemed to give them belief, and from there they showed great character and resilience to get back into a game that looked lost. Adam Idah's brilliant finishes on 35 and 37 minutes came about after some superb build-up play from the visitors.

However, the home side upped the ante after the break and a third goal felt inevitable.

Despite taking a bit of confidence from Ollie Watkins' bizarre penalty miss, Celtic in the end were undone by Villa's quality, and overall the hosts deserved their win.

But Celtic can take heart from much of what they showed against an impressive side, and they'll take that into the Champions League play-off round.

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After the departure of Kyogo there were questions as to whether Adam Idah could step up and fill the void left by the Japanese striker.

Two excellent first-half finishes from him showed he has the ability to lead the line for Celtic moving forwards.

Tino
Fan writer

On his return to Celtic Park in June 2023, Brendan Rodgers was unequivocal in his determination to make Celtic competitive in Europe once again.

Something that had eluded him despite his trophy-laden first spell at the club.

A win and a draw last season - against Feyenoord and Atletico Madrid respectively - were a step in the right direction, but we again failed to progress to the knockout stage of European football's top tournament.

Fast forward to this season's newly-revamped Champions League and we now find ourselves in the unfamiliar position of being able to cruise into the last game, knowing we'll take our place in the next stage win, lose or draw.

However, what may be seen as a luxury fixture by some will be viewed very differently by the manager, who will relish the opportunity to silence detractors down south by putting on a performance at Villa Park.

That won't be easy against an elite manager in Unai Emery - a winner of no less than four Europe League titles during his time at Sevilla and Villarreal - and his talented pool of Premier League players.

And it's a task that will be even more challenging given the absence of Cameron Carter-Vickers (injured), Daizen Maeda (suspended) and the now departed Kyogo Furuhashi - but that in itself provides an opportunity for others to stake a claim and it could be a huge night for the likes of Liam Scales, Yang Hyun-Jun and Adam Idah.

The squad of course has been boosted by the much-hyped return of Portuguese superstar Jota, and though he won't be available for this one, his re-signing is a real show of intent by the club before the knockout stage.

At 25, the ex-Benfica youth is no project player, and should he be joined by another former hero in the experienced Kieran Tierney, 27, this month it would mark a clear sign of ambition by the manager and board.

Should we also add a talented striker to replace the talismanic Kyogo then we can look forward to the next stage as well as the remainder of the domestic campaign with real optimism.

In the bigger picture we now find ourselves with the strange feeling of having not too much to complain about as Celtic fans - and it's one I could see myself getting used to!

Let's hope that feeling remains intact by the time the final whistle blows tonight.

Tino can be found at The Celtic Exchange, external

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With Kyogo Furuhashi having left to join Rennes and Daizen Maeda suspended for Celtic's Champions League assignment at Aston Villa, Adam Idah has a massive chance to impress.

Since making his loan from Norwich City permanent in the summer, the 23-year-old striker has struggled to cement a place in Brendan Rodgers' starting line-up.

Idah has netted just eight goals in 32 appearances this season - and is currently on a 14-game run without scoring.

With Rodgers' attacking options depleted, though, the Republic of Ireland international is set to lead the line at Villa Park.

"This is a chance for Idah now," BBC Scotland's chief sportswriter Tom English told the Scottish Football Podcast.

"It might be a very limited window, but he needs to take advantage of it.

"He hasn't really hit his stride this season. When he came into the club last January, he scored a lot of important goals.

"When you look at the stats from his first six months in the team, his goals to shots on target was way higher than anybody else. It was way higher than [Hearts striker Lawrence] Shankland's last year, who was player of the year.

"Idah scored Old Firm goals, he scored the winning goal in the cup final. He was scoring important goals.

"This season he hasn't really scored important goals, he hasn't scored as many, and they haven't been as significant. So this is a chance for him now to show what he's got."