Celtic used to dip their toes into the lower leagues of English football for a player or two. However. since Gary Hooper, I don’t think the club have been able to find a real gem for an affordable price down south.
Here’s why.
Gary Hooper played in the Championship for Scunthorpe Utd in the 09/10 season; scoring 19 goals in 34 appearances. Prior to that, Gary had scored 24 goals in 45 appearances in League One.
Celtic picked the striker up for around £2.5m and we all know what a signing Gary was for the club.
Fast forward to now; we have a guy in the Championship called Adam Armstrong who has scored 28 goals in 40 appearances for Blackburn this season. A fantastic return for a striker the Ewood Park club picked up for just over £1m from Newcastle.
At 24, Adam looks like a strong finisher who is growing into the game. A player who Celtic should be looking at until you realise it’s not 2010 anymore. Unlike when we picked up Gary Hooper for £2.5m, Adam is being touted for a move this summer with his value currently rated at £14m [TransferMarkt]. That’s way out of Celtic’s price range, even if you factor in we’re going to have to shell out some decent money this summer.
Simply put, if Gary Hooper emerged in the Championship now, Celtic would not be able to get a hold of him.
Blackburn ended 15th in the table despite Armstrong’s efforts. He’s a player who could thrive under a new look Celtic but sadly he’s likely destined to be passed about between the bottom tier of the EPL – not that his bank balance will mind.
The example above shows why Celtic’s scouting system must be spot on. We need to take these guys before they’ve had a breakout season. We had an open goal with Ivan Toney last summer and we didn’t just hit it over the bar, we knocked the ball out of the stadium down London Road.
Celtic will have to shop in League One for bargains and further afield because as soon as you’ve made a name for yourself in the Championship, you can bet a move north of the border isn’t going to be on the cards.
