Celtic and Aston Villa fans have been reacting to the Scott Hogan link from yesterday.
TEAMtalk reported that the striker is an option for Neil Lennon despite an incredibly poor spell with lowly Stoke City. Indeed, Hogan is on loan with the Championship club from the Villains, yet has only scored two goals in 15 appearances for them. Even worse, he hasn’t started any of their last 12 Championship games (Transfermarkt).
Scott Hogan has had a miserable loan spell with Stoke City this season (Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
Hogan hasn’t managed double-digits for goals in a season since the 2016/17 campaign. That was two-and-a-half years ago now. He’s also been capped six times for the Republic of Ireland, but has yet to score for them.
It’s fair to say his link to Parkhead hasn’t gone down too well with many Hoops fans. Reacting to the news on social media, both Celtic and Villa supporters have been giving their views:
I hope the chat about Aston Villa striker Scott Hogan is just silly season nonsense HH pic.twitter.com/jzgsH3IzLn
— Celtic Gossip (@CelticGossip) January 9, 2020
an absolutely howling player
— DB (@deejaypb) January 9, 2020
Scott Hogan linked to Celtic? Hmmm, let's see who he plays for, I've never heard of him… #GuessTheClub#ImagineMySurpriseWhenISeehePlaysForStoke
— Emrod (@Emrod_lives) January 9, 2020
If Hogan went to Celtic he would score and I for one would be happy for him. #avfc
— Diggy (@avfcdiggy) January 9, 2020
27 year old who can’t get a game for Villa or Stoke. Wayne Biggins-esque
— andy young (@ajpy78) January 9, 2020
Villa are in the market for a striker so if he’s not good enough for them he’s definitely not for us
— Goodie (@GoodieBhoy) January 9, 2020
Genuinely feel for Scott Hogan. On top of the world at Brentford, but look at him now.
Oatcakes and Under 23's.
I hope he gets a permanent move away, and soon, for the sake of his career and his mental health.
— Regan Foy (@findfoy) January 9, 2020
Not a signing that sends out the right message
Hogan’s previous clubs include the likes of Brentford, Sheffield United, and Rochdale to name a few. He has been prolific at times in the English lower leagues, but this is a player that’s clearly struggling for confidence.
This isn’t a signing that would send out the right message to the Celtic support. It would be viewed upon as a cheap option, especially if we were to try and nab him on a loan deal. It reads like a signing where the club would simply be trying to save money as opposed to making a statement.
Hogan hasn’t had much luck at international level either (Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
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This is a time when proper investment has to be made. Loan deals and career revivals are all well and good, but now isn’t the time for Celtic to be experimenting with them. There’s nothing to suggest over the last few years that Hogan would come up to Scotland and be a success. His goal record and lack of confidence is startling.
If we ended up signing the Irishman and then went on to lose the league, it’s exactly the kind of signing that would be highlighted as a poor piece of business. It’s not exactly a deal that would show the club as leaving no stone unturned in our bid to win 10-in-a-row.
The likes of Andraz Sporar looks a tastier deal than that of Hogan (Ahmad Mora/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Celtic fans have already been teased about the £7million-rated Andraz Sporar (Scottish Sun). We’ve also been linked with the €4million-worth Patryk Klimala (Scottish Sun). For us to potentially go for a Scott Hogan on a loan deal after links like that then it would certainly be underwhelming.
Hopefully, Hogan can bounce back at Villa and find another club this month. However, this isn’t the time for Celtic to be taking a risk on a player who’s clearly struggling massively.