Post by Taxigirl on Jan 15, 2004 15:45:27 GMT
John Hartson is in no rush to leave Celtic and return to England, his agent has insisted.
The Wales striker, who has 18 months of his current Parkhead contract to run, has been linked with a number of clubs.
Fulham manager Chris Coleman - his former international team-mate - was said to be keen to recruit him, especially if star striker Louis Saha leaves the London club for Manchester United.
Birmingham, Middlesbrough, Tottenham and Newcastle have also been linked with the former Arsenal man who has found his best form in The SPL.
Reports have suggested that Celtic might also be willing to cash in on a forward who had a back operation in the summer and has netted only nine times this season.
But Jonathan Barnett, Hartson's agent, insisted that the 28-year-old was keen to stay put.
He said: "It's all rubbish - he's fine and my understanding is that Celtic want to keep him."
Hartson has never stayed long at one club however. He began as a trainee at Luton before Arsenal paid £2.5 million for him in 1995. He was at Highbury for just over two years before moving to West Ham for a similar length of time.
A £7.5 million fee saw him move across London to Wimbledon in January 1999 and, after a short spell at Coventry, he moved to Celtic in August 2001.
That £6 million switch had been completed after a move to Rangers two months earlier had collapsed when the Ibrox side insisted he was not fit to take a medical.
His spell in Scottish football has been successful although he missed last season's Uefa Cup final defeat to FC Porto because of the back problem.
With Henrik Larsson set to leave for pastures new in the summer, though, The Bhoys may be keen to hang onto their battering forward.