138 games 82 goals and 30 assists. That was what Gary Hooper’s stats looked like when he moved away from Celtic to England in 2013. It seemed like a classic case of ‘the grass being greener on the other side’ as the English striker came nowhere close to registering those numbers in England. The forward joined Norwich City from Park Head and in his first season with the Canaries, he went down to the Championship. The striker might have been their top scorer( with a paltry return of 8 goals) for that season but nobody remembers those stats when the team goes down to the lower division.
His time at Carrow Road was hampered by injuries in the Championship but they soon got what they wished for as Norwich were straight back to the Premier League next season. Hooper this time managed a return of 12 goals but was continued to be dropped for quite a few encounters. Once back in the Premier League again, he would have looked to kick start things but it went further downhill from there as he struggled to make the playing eleven and was later shifted on to Sheffield Wednesday on loan, where now he plays on a permanent basis.
The 30-year-old was a classic striker with a poacher’s instinct in and around the box. Many consider him to be one of the best strikers the Celts have had after Henrik Larsson and looking at his numbers, he definitely makes a case for himself.
The 30-year-old would have already realised what a big mistake he made by leaving the Hoops in his prime. The English striker went from playing Champions League football to playing in the English second tier in one season. Maybe he was trying to chase an England Cap and wanted to start from the roots. However, one cannot blame the player as well, as every professional footballer would try to fulfil his dream of representing his nation.
Now by putting all this behind, maybe he can turn back to the place where he found great success? The Hoops are in need of a striker after Moussa Dembele pushed his way out of the club last month. Maybe in January, the Celts could go after their former fan-favourite in search of a replacement. The striker also seems ready for something like that as he retweeted this from his official account on the transfer deadline day.
Sell Moussa, bring back @HOOP588
— Allan McNelis (@Nelly1682) August 30, 2018
But he may no longer be at his former best. He is even struggling with injuries having made no appearance since December. However, he has now started training with the u-23 side and is on road to reach full fitness. Rodgers already has Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths at his disposal so Hooper as a backup option doesn’t sound bad. His previous experience with the club could definitely come in handy and signing him could be a decent bet for Rodgers.
