Neil Lennon was blessed with many talented players in his first spell in charge of Celtic.
The likes of Scott Brown were in their prime, while there were also valuable additions in the form of Joe Ledley, Mikael Lustig, Virgil van Dijk and more.
Celtic have also been fortunate enough to have had many talented strikers in the past.
None can topple Henrik Larsson, but Lennon thinks there is one signing he made that was the club’s best striker in the post-Larsson era.
- READ MORE: Why Henrik Larsson credited Pierre van Hooijdonk for inspiring Celtic move from Feyenoord
There’s nobody better…
Neil Lennon said Gary Hooper is the best Celtic striker since Larsson
Lennon decided after 10 minutes that he wanted to sign Gary Hooper, and it was a move that paid off.
Signed from Scunthorpe United, the forward went on to score 82 in 138 appearances before joining Norwich City.
In terms of finishing, Hooper was capable of scoring from all angles and provided many happy memories for fans.
Who are you picking?
Hooper left to join Norwich City in 2013, and Lennon said at the time that he was the best striker since Larsson.
“For me he has been one of my best signings in so many ways – for value for money, improvement, goals and link up play I think he’s been the best striker here since Henrik and he will be a huge loss to us,” admitted the former Celtic manager.
“I wish him well. Part of me wants to strangle him but you don’t want to stop the progression of some individuals.”
Gary Hooper on playing for Celtic
The deal to sign the 22-year-old seemed to be a gamble at the time, having forked out over £2m for his services.
From the third tier of English football to playing in the Champions League would be daunting for some but seamless to Hooper.
He made the transition perfectly and after his unveiling in 2010, revealed that joining Celtic was the only option for him.
“When I knew Celtic were interested, they were the only club I wanted to come to,” he said.
Boy are we glad he picked us.
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