Long ‘too expensive’ for Bhoys

CELTIC boss Neil Lennon has ruled out a move for Republic of Ireland striker Shane Long, claiming the Reading striker is too expensive.

Long looks certain to leave the Royals this summer after their failure to clinch promotion to the Premier League and has been linked with the Bhoys in recent weeks.

However, while Lennon is a fan of the player he says the asking price of £7 million is too much.

“The figures I have seen quoted in the papers, I don’t think we would be in the running for Shane,’’ Lennon said. “He is a player I do like. I think he has a lot of qualities and would be beneficial to us.

“But that sort of money is out of our remit. You are talking £7m, I don’t think we’ve got that to pay. Value for money is key.

“We always look for players who might have a resale value in future, but who — at the same time — will be good-quality players. Like we’ve done with Beram Kayal, Emilio Izaguirre, Gary Hooper and players like that.’’

One Irish player, Andy Reid, completed a move yesterday, joining former club Nottingham Forest.

The 28-year-old midfielder joins Forest on a free transfer on a two-year deal after an unhappy spell at Blackpool, with whom he made just five appearances after arriving from Sunderland in January.

By rejoining the club where he began his career, Reid has dropped down a level but he is confident he will back in the Premier League before too long.

“I haven’t come here to stay in the Championship for a couple of years — I’ve come here to help get this club in the Premier League which is where it belongs,’’ Reid said.

“I haven’t played for this club in the Premier League but I was in the youth team when it was last there.

“I want to be part of the team when we get promotion to the top flight.”

Reid joined Forest as a 14 year old and made more than 150 appearances before moving to Spurs.

He added: “It feels like I’ve come home, especially seeing so many familiar faces at the club. It’s great to see people who were so good to me when I was here first time round.”

Meanwhile, Sunderland new boy Keiren Westwood has vowed to use his elevation to the Premier League to challenge Shay Given for his Republic of Ireland place.

The 26-year-old goalkeeper yesterday completed a free transfer move to the Stadium of Light after signing a three-year deal.

Westwood joined the Black Cats after his Coventry contract expired and is hoping top-flight experience will help him push Manchester City goalkeeper Given, who has been linked with a move to Aston Villa, all the way for the number one spot in Giovanni Trapattoni’s squad.

He said: “Obviously, that (claiming Given’s number one spot) is very difficult. Shay is an amazing goalkeeper and he has dominated the goalkeeping situation for Ireland for many years now.

“That’s another challenge that I have been chipping away at for the last couple of years, and hopefully playing in the Premier League will make it a bit of a challenge for him.”