Lennon thankful Hooper stayed at Celtic after Premier League interest
Celtic manager Neil Lennon has lavished praise on the club’s board for resisting the temptation to sell Gary Hooper during the January transfer window, reports Sky Sports.
Hooper was much in-demand and the Scottish champions reportedly received “numerous” offers for the 25-year-old, with Norwich having appeared as the frontrunners to sign the former Scunthorpe striker.
However, Celtic remained resolute in their determination to retain the services of a player who has scored an impressive 57 goals in just 83 appearances for the Hoops.
Lennon said: “I think we made our stance pretty clear. I don't think a lot of people believed us but we want to keep this team together for the foreseeable future.
“Gary is a huge part of that and I'm very grateful to the board for standing by our decision on that. We look forward to a great second half to the season now.”
Lennon also revealed that the club tried to sign Wolves striker Kevin Doyle, but to no avail. The Midlands club confirmed that an offer for the 29-year-old Republic of Ireland international was rejected not long before the window closed until the summer.
Lennon continued: “He is a player we have admired for a long time but Wolves were steadfast, like we've been, so we obviously respect that. They feel Kevin is a very important player there and it just wasn't to be.”
See what the expert tipsters are tipping on OLBG
Related Articles
|