Even the most staunch Celtic fan will admit the chances of their club keeping hold of star striker Gary Hooper this summer are slim, with a good number of English Premier League outfits eyeing up the 25-year-old.
Celtic boss Neil Lennon can expect to be inundated with transfer bids for the forward over pre-season and although the manager is reluctant to see him leave the majority of punters who bet on football know it is only a matter of time before Hooper returns south of the border.
Yet there is also hope among many fans that Hooper gets a fair crack at the Premier League and doesn’t simply join a middling team or one fighting for survival next term.
Hooper has proven both in the SPL and Champions League he is a quality striker capable of matching some of the best defences on the continent. At 25 he can still improve and has international ambitions with England to drive him forward.
Newcastle and Norwich have both been linked with the forward in various football betting news articles, while whoever comes up from the Championship will no doubt have a sniff, but Hooper has the ability to contest for a starting position further up the league and both Arsenal and Tottenham should seriously consider bidding for the £9 million-valued goalscorer.
A goalscorer is exactly what Arsenal need and Hooper can be trusted to find the net. He would work well feeding off Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla’s service while giving Arsenal a focal point that knows about British football and, unlike Olivier Giroud, can handle the physical side.
Spurs, meanwhile, have a striker crisis, for while Jermain Defoe isn’t fit enough to hold down a regular place Emmanuel Adebayor simply doesn’t perform to a consistent standard.
Hooper would give either side 20 goals per season and although that isn’t enough to win you a league it is good value for a player who deserves his shot at the top of the EPL.
