Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has been urged to bring a former club icon back to Parkhead despite the Scottish transfer window being closed, according to reports.
What's the latest news involving Celtic?
According to The Scottish Sun, Celtic winger Liel Abada has been ruled out for up to a month due to sustaining a quad injury in training with the Israel national team during the international break.
Now, it is believed that Abada could miss Celtic's opening two Champions League clashes against Feyenoord and Lazio. The 21-year-old suffered his injury in a voluntary part of training at the end of a session and will now give Rodgers, who already has several players out with various concerns, another worry to contend with moving forward.
In the aftermath of reports claiming that Celtic are keen to offer Denmark Under-21 international Matt O'Riley an improved contract at Parkhead, former Hoops defender Peter Grant has endorsed any move to tie the London-born playmaker down, stating via The Daily Record: "Time may come when someone from the Premier League in England makes an offer and he thinks one day he might fancy a go at that, you never know. I always say enjoy them while you have them. Make them feel like a king of the castle and, if you do that and reward them for their quality and efforts as best you can afford, that’s important. God willing, Matt signs a new deal and he’s at Celtic for many years to come.”
Celtic will wait for the international break to end before returning to action against Dundee this weekend at Parkhead. Rodgers confirmed in his pre-match media conference before the Hoops' home clash against St Johnstone last month that Japanese midfielder Reo Hatate could return to action upon the resumption of club football.
Who has Brendan Rodgers been told to sign?
As per The Scottish Sun, former Celtic defender Kelvin Wilson has urged Rodgers to bring back former Celtic icon Gary Hooper to Parkhead on a free transfer following his exploits in the Scottish Masters Cup last weekend, which is a popular six-a-side tournament comprised of club legends from Scotland's major football clubs. Hooper is a free agent so could be signed outside of the window.
Wilson said: "I know you look at Celtic and the players they can bring in, but I wouldn’t be surprised with Gary. Hoops could be a back-up player there and still score many goals for Celtic. I don’t understand why anyone would question it. That’s my opinion. Gary knows the club inside out and the fans absolutely love him. It’s a no-brainer for me. He wouldn’t cost them anything, so yes! For sure he’d take that opportunity, he’d snatch your hand off for it."
Should Celtic sign Gary Hooper?
In short, no, probably not. Hooper was an icon in green and white and notched 82 goals and 30 assists in 127 appearances across all competitions for Celtic, as per Transfermarkt.
Despite this, he will be 36 years old in January and even though he is still capable of finding the net against ex-pros, the physical rigours of playing for a club like Celtic would be a major challenge for the former England Under-21 international, it goes without saying.
Cited by The Daily Record, Hooper did issue a tongue-in-cheek come-and-get-me plea to Celtic boss Rodgers at the weekend, stating: "I played for one of the biggest clubs in the world, biggest fan base. I loved my three years up here and, hopefully, if Brendan’s watching I could retire at Celtic…on the bench."
Hooper is loved by Celtic fans due to his potency in front of goal during his time at Parkhead; however, any serious talk of a return is unlikely to be anything more than a by-product of nostalgic reflection.
