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Earlier this week it emerged that Norwich had offered Celtic £5M for the former Hereford United striker Gary Hooper.
Hooper's manager Neil Lennon thinks he will move but would like to hold onto him for at least the immediate future.
“That was Gary at his best. He got his two goals but I thought his
all-round game was top class and that probably added two more million,
or maybe five, to his fee! I don’t have a set figure, well maybe £25m
because goalscorers are at a premium and Gary’s a goalscorer. We’ll set
the bar pretty high for him.
“I am not going to stop any of the players’ progress because I wouldn’t have wanted that done to myself, but I am the manager of the club and I have got to do what is in the club’s best interests and in the short-term that is keeping Gary Hooper here. But I am hearing Norwich might come in again but good luck to them with that because what we were offered was nowhere near our valuation.
“I haven’t got a crystal ball, of course and I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next couple of weeks.
“But I have made it clear, and chief executive Peter Lawwell has made it clear, that we are not selling him.
“We don’t want him to go, particularly at this juncture of the season, and there is an offer on the table for him right now.
“However, everyone has their price.
“What Gary’s price is will be down to myself and the board to decide if a club comes up with that figure."
“I am not going to stop any of the players’ progress because I wouldn’t have wanted that done to myself, but I am the manager of the club and I have got to do what is in the club’s best interests and in the short-term that is keeping Gary Hooper here. But I am hearing Norwich might come in again but good luck to them with that because what we were offered was nowhere near our valuation.
“I haven’t got a crystal ball, of course and I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next couple of weeks.
“But I have made it clear, and chief executive Peter Lawwell has made it clear, that we are not selling him.
“We don’t want him to go, particularly at this juncture of the season, and there is an offer on the table for him right now.
“However, everyone has their price.
“What Gary’s price is will be down to myself and the board to decide if a club comes up with that figure."
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| Gary Hooper With Team-Mates At Brentford On The Saturday Hereford Gained Promotion To League One |
Hooper came to Edgar Street on loan from Southend on January 28th 2008 and stayed for the remainder of the season. He scored 11 goals in 19 appearances.