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Fullname: Junior Adamu Chukwubuike
aka: Junior Adamu
Born: 6 June 2001
Birthplace: Kano, Nigeria
Signed: 2 February 2026 (Loan to 31 May 2026 with option to buy)
Left: 24 May 2026 (end of loan)
Position: Forward
Debut: Celtic 2-1 Dundee, Scottish Cup, 7 Feb 2026
Squad No.: 09
Internationals: Austria
International Caps: [TBC at end of career]
International Goals: [TBC at end of career]
Biog
“I’m dangerous in the box and hungry for goals. That’s what the manager sees in me and I want to show that on the pitch.”
Adamu (Jan 2026)
Junior Adamu arrived at Celtic during a very difficult period. The first half of the season had been a shambles, with four different managerial spells already, leaving Celtic back in the hands of interim manager Martin O’Neill and clinging on in the league race. Hearts were top by 6 points, while Celtic were fending off a resurgent TheRangers for second place, with both sides level on points on the day of his signing. Off the field, there was huge turmoil between the board and the supporters, while the squad was weak, with key players out injured and new arrivals desperately needed to revitalise the team.
On paper, Adamu was not exactly the kind of signing to lift spirits. He was out of the picture at Freiburg (Germany), and his goal-scoring record was far from impressive. This was a player arriving at a Celtic side desperate for a striker, with Maeda off form, Iheanacho repeatedly injured, and no reliable option up front. It had been a nightmare of a season so far.
However, he became a hero in only his first match, scoring a 97th-minute goal to help take Celtic into extra time in the Scottish Cup fifth round, which Celtic went on to win (2-1, Feb 2026). This even upstaged the arrival of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who had signed earlier that day. Adamu came on late, in the 79th minute, and his goal was a tremendous boost for both himself and Celtic. Interim manager Martin O’Neill later stated that Adamu’s introduction was “probably as key as anything else” to the victory.
A pattern was emerging at this time, with Celtic winning with some very late goals, and Adamu featured in both the 2-1 victory over Livingston and the 3-2 victory over Kilmarnock, with both matches won at the death.
Surprisingly, he was handed a start in his first Glasgow derby against TheRangers (2-2, Mar 2026), but he received little service and was substituted at half-time with Celtic 2-0 down, a bit of a comedown for him. It was a massive day for him to prove himself, but he just couldn’t get into the game. He only played in one more match, coming on as a late substitute in a defeat to Dundee United (2-0, Mar 2026), which at the time seemed like another sign that Celtic’s league challenge was over.
After that, everything seemed to grind to a halt.
Celtic remarkably began to recover after that defeat to Dundee Utd, with Daizen Maeda in particular returning to form and Iheanacho filling in brilliantly with some crucial goals. There was little room to give Adamu further opportunities. Against all the odds, Celtic went on to win the league and cup double, despite TheRangers and Hearts being clear favourites. Adamu may have played only a bit part, but Martin O’Neill later praised his impact on his debut. Without his goal, which took the game to extra time, Celtic’s run to the Scottish Cup title would have ended too soon:
“Considering as well that Junior (Adamu) scored a goal for us in the last seconds of the game against Dundee to take it into extra-time. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been here, so a lot of those things. But I am delighted to be here for a start, and of course, delighted to win.”
Martin O’Neill
One bit of further misfortune was that FC Freiburg, his parent club, during his time away made the UEFA Cup final but ultimately lost. We’ll never know if he would ever have managed an opportunity to have played a part in that match if he had not gone out on loan.
We wished him all the best.
Post-Celtic
On his return to FC Freiburg, his parent club, he was then quickly moved on to Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga.
[…]
Quotes
“He has also been involved in European competition, so we are bringing in a talented, experienced, international forward to really enhance our attacking options.”
Martin O’Neill (Jan 2026)
“I’m dangerous in the box and hungry for goals. That’s what the manager sees in me and I want to show that on the pitch.”
Adamu (Jan 2026)
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES (subs) |
LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 2025-26 | 4 | 1 | – | 1 | 6 |
| Goals | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 1 |
Honours with Celtic
(Honours are marked below in which the player has played in at least one of the matches in the campaign.)
Scottish League
Scottish Cup
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Celtic take Austria forward Adamu from Freiburg
Junior Adamu celebrates after scoring for FreiburgImage source, Getty Images
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c99kdgge92ko
Celtic have signed Austria international Junior Adamu from Bundesliga club Freiburg on loan with an option to buy in the summer while sending fellow striker Johnny Kenny on loan to Bolton Wanderers.
Born in Nigeria, 24-year-old Adamu came through the RB Salzburg academy and scored 23 goals in 84 appearances for the Austrian side.
Adamu, who has nine caps for Austria, moved to Freiburg in 2023 and has found the back of the net seven times in 67 matches.
He has made 18 appearances this season, 14 of them starts, scoring once.
However, he has only featured once as a substitute in Freiburg’s past 10 Bundesliga games for the side sitting seventh in the German top flight, although he did start last week’s 1-0 Europa League defeat away to Lille.
But Celtic manager Martin O’Neill was attracted to his “experience of high-level football”.
“He has also been involved in European competition, so we are bringing in a talented, experienced, international forward to really enhance our attacking options,” he told Celtic’s website.
Adamu becomes Celtic’s third signing of the January transfer window – all loans.
Czech Republic striker Tomas Cvancara has already found the net after arriving from Borussia Mönchengladbach, while Bournemouth full-back Julian Araujo has also made an early impression.
Adamu is eyeing a league and Scottish Cup double while scoring “a lot of goals” and wants “to improve as a player”.
“I’ve spoken with the manager and he’s given me good motivation and I trust him,” he said.
“He’s given me that trust, he’s told me how the system is and I feel the connection is really strong.”
Asked what kind of player Celtic fans will see in action, Adamu added: “I’m dangerous in the box and hungry for goals. That’s what the manager sees in me and I want to show that on the pitch.”
Meanwhile, Kenny heads for the side sitting third in League One having failed to become a first pick since O’Neill’s return to Celtic.
The 22-year-old Irishman, signed in January 2024 from Shamrock Rovers, has played 22 times for Celtic this season, 12 of them starts, and scoring six times.