THE BIG SWITCH

Doyle closer to Celtic move Hunt’s in line for transfer too

KEVIN DOYLE has moved closer to a dream transfer to Celtic after Neil Lennon confirmed that he is determined to bring in two strikers after he lost Gary Hooper to Norwich City for £5.2million.

And Doyle’s likely switch from League One club Wolves could well kick off a frenetic period for frustrated Irish stars Shay Given and Stephen Hunt, who were yesterday linked with renewed moves to the Championship.

After months of speculation, Hooper completed his move to Premier League side Norwich City and Lennon is aiming to bring in a pair of front men with Doyle a low-cost option. ‘We’re definitely going to try and bring one or two strikers in and we’re working away at that at the minute — though it’s easier

said than done,’ said Lennon ahead of Celtic’s critical Champions League qualifying doubleheader with Sweden’s Elfsborg. The Celtic manager also raised the prospect of a new signing such as Doyle (right) going straight into European action. ‘We’re allowed to bring in one before Wednesday and I think we will, I’m hoping so, anyway,’ he added. ‘Whether we would throw him in would depend on the condition of the player. ‘If we can get him in in time, see how he is in training, then I’d imagine he’d be in the squad anyway. ‘Hopefully it’ll be over the weekend. We are looking for quality. ‘That is what Hooper brought, he brought real quality, he brought a bulk of goals that separated him from the rest. ‘He was averaging 30 goals a season and that is very, very difficult to replace, but we are actively looking for a genuine goalscorer. ‘Well we’ve got a big game so it would be good to augment the squad with a bit of quality and that’s what we’re trying to do. Although, if we don’t, then I’ll be quite happy to go with what we’ve got.’ In addition to Doyle, Lennon is also thought to be considering Evian’s Saber Khelifa and Southampton’s Billy Sharp. As for Doyle’s former Wolves team-mate Stephen Hunt, who is now available on a free transfer, his destination could be Blackpool. The Republic of Ireland winger had been linked with Leeds but has now emerged as a target for Tangerines boss Paul Ince. As for Ireland centurion Given, whose move to Aston Villa has been a disaster in terms of playing time, Doncaster United manager Paul Dickov admitted that the club have declared an interest in taking the Donegal stopper to Keepmoat Stadium. ‘We’ve submitted an enquiry to take Shay on loan,’ said Dickov. Meanwhile, Hooper was yesterday relieved to have finally made the leap into the Premier League. ‘I have scored goals at every level I have played at and the challenge of playing in the Premier League is really exciting to me,’ said Hooper.