Norwich flop to find feet in Scotland with Celtic transfer
Published:Celtic have set their sights on enticing former Hoops hero Gary Hooper back to Parkhead following news of the forward’s impending relegation from the Premier League with Norwich City.
The Canaries need a minor miracle to survive, with the only positive equation for the Carrow Road club being a victory over Arsenal on the final day, a defeat for West Brom at home to Stoke and the small matter of a 17-goal swing over both matches.
Much of the blame for Norwich’s -32 goal difference rests with Hooper who has failed to rediscover the form that saw him find the net 31 times in 51 appearances during his final season with the Hoops and convinced the Canaries to shell-out £5 million for his services.
Though a tally of eight goals in 33 games for the East Anglia club this term makes him a more potent goal threat than Ricky van Wolfswinkel – a player already being paraded as the 21st century’s answer to Stephane Guivarc’h – there are few Premier League clubs likely to be calling for his services.
Instead, a return to Celtic Park could well be in order, with Bhoys manager Neil Lennon this week making no secret of his desire to bring the former Scunthorpe United hot-shot back to Parkhead.
Speaking to reporters over the weekend, the Northern Irishman rolled out all the usual clichés when it comes to football transfer talk.
“I don’t like talking about a player who’s under contract at another club,” he said, before adding, “But we think very highly of Gary put it that way.”
Another way you could put it is that the Celtic manager is waiting for the dust to settle at Carrow Road, with Norwich all set to be relegated and likely to be keen on cutting the wage bill ahead of a tough campaign in the Championship.
The Bhoys could well be the ones to benefit too, with the club also keen on recruiting Robert Snodgrass over the summer.
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