Ten years ago Tottenham Hotspur decided to release 14-year-old Gary Hooper as a schoolboy and now it looks like we could be back in the race for his signature.
Hooper’s contract negotiations are at deadlock with Celtic and according to reports today Spurs could be set to offer £10million for the 24-year-old. The Metro claim that Andre Villas-Boas has already had positive reports from scouts which he sent north of the border to cast an eye over the former Scunthorpe player.
Norwich have already had a £5million bid snubbed by Celtic, with Liverpool and QPR also said to be monitoring the situation. The striker has scored 55 goals in 81 games for the Scottish side but we all know that the Premier League is a completely different animal. Would Hooper be able to become the prolific forward which we crave?
Hooper reportedly told the Scottish Sun newspaper: “I was released by Spurs when I was 14, I had been with them for seven years. I went on a 20-minute trial – just 20 minutes of one game and they said no.
“How they can judge you on 20 minutes I’ll never know.
“The rejection from Tottenham has motivated me a lot. I want to prove to them I can play at the highest level.
“The disappointment of being released by Spurs has never left me – and ever since I’ve been trying my hardest to show what I can do. Spurs didn’t believe in me and I think I’ve proved them wrong by joining Celtic.”
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