Newcastle and Liverpool linked with Celtic star
Premier League duo Newcastle United and Liverpool are being linked with Celtic and Scotland striker Gary Hooper according to the Scottish Sun.
Gary Hooper has done well north of the border in the SPL since joining Celtic from Scunthorpe United in 2010 for a fee of £2.4 million.
The 24-year-old has a strike rate better than a goal every other game in his two years in Scotland and continues to impress this season.
Hooper was central to Celtic securing the first ever away win in the Champions League earlier this month, as he scored the Bhoys’ opener in their 3-2 win over Russian club Spartak Moscow.
Celtic manager Neil Lennon realises the importance of securing Hooper to a new deal, which currently runs until the summer of 2014, as his stock continues to rise.
Lennon told the Scottish Sun that: “We’re hoping to talk to his agent soon about a new deal but he’s just put £25,000 a week on his wage,” after his goal in Europe’s premier competition.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is thought to be a long-time admirer of Hooper, but Newcastle are also reported to be taking a keen interest in the striker.
The Reds’ need for a striker sees them to continue to be linked with Newcastle’s Demba Ba in the newspapers, and if that move was to go through in January then maybe the Magpies would be looking at Hooper as a possible replacement.
Would you like to see Gary Hooper in a Newcastle United shirt?
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Newcastle News 24/7
October 13th, 2012
Celtic bigger following than the toon could ever dream off having
October 14th, 2012
Newcastle have a good pool of players right now but the arrogance from their fans is shocking… I have no idea what makes them think they are world beaters… If Celtic had a couple of seasons in the PL and getting the type of money involved (and the ability to pay the kinds of wages involved) then we would definitely be a top 8 team. The reason this does not happen is because of your Stoke, Newcastles, WBA, Sunderland, QPR etc… Teams who have zero hope of winning the league but who know that their finances would take a hit because another ‘big team’ would be taking a slice of the pie. The top teams in the PL would gladly accept another challenger because their own revenue streams would actually increase and they also know that they would still be able to finish higher in the league.
Gary Hooper is one of the most effective strikers in British football at this moment and if he is making a move to the PL (which he most definitely deserves) then it will be done in the summer, after his run in the champions league/europa league. I can’t say which team I think will pick him up but I know that the Celtic board won’t sell for less than 12 million. Why should they? Andy Carroll was sold for 35 and look at his strike rate compared to Hooper.
Newcastle fans and Pardew are all fuds btw.
October 15th, 2012
lol
October 22nd, 2012
What makes me laugh most about this incredibly deluded post is you think we’re running scared of Celtic. Mate listen to me, no one knows who you are, no one notices you or cares. If you came to England you’d be nobodies too. I would like to see you in England to shut your idiot fans up, and laugh when you’re in the Championship for 10 years getting 15000 like you used to before Fergus McCann.
Putting us in the same category as Sunderland, WBA and Stoke is laughable to start with. Newcastle are a far better supported club than Celtic. This season alone our average gate is 51000 Celtic’s is about 38000, Celtic have NO history prior to 1997 of good support. This is a club WHO NEVER averaged over 40000 till 1997, Newcastle were breaking world record average gates of 58000 in the 40s and 50s. Celtic is England would be like Wolves at best that sort of size club. Their fanbase is poor, just look at things like twitter Newcastle’s official twitter has 3 times more followers than Celtic, and even teams like Villa, West Ham and Everton have more.
Gary Hooper would crawl a million miles over broken glass to play for Fulham or Everton let alone Newcastle or Liverpool.
October 22nd, 2012
Also if Leo Messi played for Celtic there’s NO WAY ON EARTH, you would get more than £10m for him. The profile of your league and club dictate that it’s an impossibility. I’d be gutted if we signed Hooper, he’s a championship striker, would do a job somewhere like Cardiff for £4m, there’s no way on earth Newcastle or Liverpool for that matter would look at a player of such poor quality for a big fee. That is the reality and your less deluded fans who spend time outside of Glasgow would realise what an insignificance of a club you truly are.