Norwich City: Why Gary Hooper Will Prove to Be Worth the Wait

One of the longest-running transfer saga's of recent years came to a conclusion yesterday as Norwich City finally completed the signing of Celtic's Gary Hooper. 

It was a deal that swung to and fro in relentless fashion, and the Canaries had to battle right down to the wire to eventually secure their man. 

In hindsight, we should have known that it was never going to be straight forward.

Bid after bid rejected in January, a private jet waiting at Glasgow airport on transfer deadline day to no avail and the small matter of intense interest from Queens Park Rangers this summer all conspired to go against the prospect of Hooper ever pulling on a yellow shirt.

However, the months of perseverance finally came to fruition yesterday as the 25-year-old was officially unveiled at Carrow Road. And I for one am delighted.

In the shape of Hooper, Norwich City have managed to secure a striker that gets a kick out of putting the ball in the back of the net—and in modern-day football, such a trait is priceless.

Simply put, the former Tottenham trainee is just an out-and-out goalscorer in the purest sense, and that is an ability that can't be underestimated—no matter what league you are playing in.

Whether it is via his left foot, right foot or his head, Hooper has scored them all. 

Canaries fans should be warned that Hooper isn't the type of striker that will offer much outside the box, but once the ball is in the penalty area, the man comes alive. 

People will inevitably point to the standard of the SPL, where Hooper has been plying his trade for the past three seasons. But it must be noted that the forward has handled the burden of expectation that comes with playing for a magnificent club like Celtic brilliantly. 

You can only play what's in front of you, and a return of 63 goals in 95 league games for the Bhoys is a remarkable effort at any level.

What's more, Hooper displayed a similar predatory instinct at Scunthorpe United, as he bagged 43 goals in 82 appearances for the Lincolnshire outfit, a team that, at the time, was fighting valiantly against the threat of relegation from The Championship (although, admittedly, some of those strikes did come in the Iron's League One promotion campaign).

To be able to score goals at such a frequent rate is a special talent, and Hooper has earned his chance to now test himself on the biggest stage.

No one can deny that the step up to the Premier League is a significant jump, but Hooper has the ability to thrive under the spotlight, and I am convinced that he will score goals. As he has always done.

It's a move that should suit all parties, and the fact that Chris Hughton was so relentless in his pursuit of the forward should tell you all you need to know about how highly he's regarded at Carrow Road.

In short, Gary Hooper could be the perfect player for Norwich City and Norwich City could be the perfect club for Gary Hooper at this precise time, with the club showing serious ambition to make an assault on the top 10 next season.

Undoubtedly, if Hooper does excel for the Canaries, then bigger clubs will inevitably come looking. But even so, you can be rest assured that Norwich would stand to make a healthy profit on a player that only cost them a reported £5.5 million to prize away from Celtic. 

At such a price, signing the striker was something of a no-brainer and the prospect of a Ricky van Wolfswinkel-Hooper partnership is a tantalising thought.

The transfer provides Hooper with a genuine chance of forcing his way into the England reckoning and a spot on the plane to Brazil shouldn't be ruled out.

But until then, Hooper needs to show the world just why Norwich were so desperate to land his signature. 

And who would bet against him doing exactly that. 

Follow Andy Ward on Twitter.