Gabby Agbonlahor to Celtic – Ex-Aston Villa and England striker reveals he’d LOVE to play for Brendan Rodgers
The 31-year-old scored the goal which earned Brendan Rodgers' side a 3-3 draw in Saturday's Match for Cancer and he admitted he'd love to play for Celtic full-time
GABRIEL AGBONLAHOR has revealed he’d love to pull on a Celtic shirt for Brendan Rodgers permanently.
The former England striker fired home the goal which earned Rodgers’ side a 3-3 draw in Saturday’s Match For Cancer at Parkhead — now he’s dreaming of doing it full-time.
The 31-year-old is a free agent after ending a 13-year career at Aston Villa in the summer.
With Moussa Dembele sold to Lyon, Odsonne Edouard and the injury-plagued Leigh Griffiths are Celtic's only options up front.
However, Agbonlahor would love to be given the chance to help Rodgers solve Celtic’s striking crisis.
He said: “I’ve always thought what a great stadium this is and that it produces a magnificent atmosphere especially during Old Firm games.
“When the Celtic fans start singing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ it has always given me goosebumps just watching it on TV — so it would be something else to actually play in it.
“I think every player, if they had the chance to play for Celtic, would take it.
“Can you imagine playing in front of 60,000 people inside this place? I told one of the lads I’d get sent off in the first minute due to the adrenalin and sheer excitement!
“From growing up watching Old Firm games I would have followed Celtic — I was at Aston Villa with Stiliyan Petrov, Martin O’Neill and Chris Sutton and they’re all massive Celtic supporters.
“It’s a massive club and even just to come here and play in a charity match is an honour.
“I’ll try and speak to Brendan Rodgers and we’ll see what happens!”
Agbonlahor loved starring in the Hoops on Saturday and would relish the prospect of move north of the border.
He said: “It was a good laugh and it was nice to see some players who I’ve played with before.
“There were some superstars who have a real history with Celtic like Henrik Larsson and Stiliyan Petrov.
“I enjoyed it and it was nice to get an assist from Larsson. How many people can say that they have been set up for a goal by Henrik?
“That’s a dream for most players, isn’t it? They call him the King of Kings round these parts and it’s easy to understand why.
“I have a lot of friends who are Celtic supporters and the club has a massive fan base.
“To play here again and score a goal is just fantastic. It’s a great arena. At the moment I’m considering my options.
"I want to do what is best for me and my family. I have young kids and for me to move to another place and another country is a big decision for me.
“I definitely want to play on, though, and I wouldn’t rule anything out — if an opportunity comes for me to play in Scotland and the move is right for me and my family then I would take it.
"I’m raring to go. I’m fit and have kept myself ticking over.
“More people are tuning into Scottish football down south now because Steven Gerrard is the manager of Rangers.
“There was huge interest in last week’s Old Firm game. The English press built it up a lot more and previews were being shown every minute on Sky Sports.
“I got in at 11am, even though I knew the kick-off was at 12 — I just wanted to watch all the build-up. It’s a fascinating game.”
Ex-Celt Robbie Keane and Manchester United star Ashley Young also scored for the Hoops on a day when free-styler Jeremy Lynch and a double from Spanish World Cup winner Joan Capdevila earned a draw for James Milner’s side.