Palermo target 'nomad' Samaras as Keane lauds Lennon

ITALIAN side Palermo have expressed an interest in Celtic striker Georgios Samaras.

The Greece international, 25, found his first-team starts limited after Neil Lennon took interim charge of Celtic in March.

The former Heerenveen and Manchester City forward, who is set to represent his country in the World Cup finals, has netted 36 goals since moving to Celtic in January 2008.

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"Samaras is a strong player who in recent years has improved a lot playing in different football environments," Palermo sporting director Walter Sabatini said. "In some ways he has been a football nomad but he certainly has a lot of qualities."

Meanwhile, Samaras's erstwhile strike partner Robbie Keane insists he has no regrets about his loan spell at Parkhead, even though Celtic ended the season empty-handed.

The Tottenham striker spent just four months in the east end of Glasgow but established himself as a firm fans' favourite during that time. Keane scored 16 goals in 19 appearances and, despite failing to win any silverware and witnessing the departure of manager Tony Mowbray, the 29-year-old will return to London with happy memories.

He said: "It's been a strange season for the club. But this is something I have always wanted to do and I'll never regret it. I have no regrets in football and I've loved my time here. From a personal point of view, I've scored a lot of goals and I'll look back with a lot of fond memories."

Meanwhile, Keane has backed Lennon to land the Celtic job on a permanent basis. The former club skipper took over as interim boss when Mowbray left the club and won all eight of his Clydesdale Bank Premier League games in charge.

Celtic directors revealed at the weekend the process of appointing a manager is under way.

"I really hope that Lenny gets the job," Keane told Huddle Online. "He has all the attributes to be a great manager. He is very vocal and knows his football and one thing he has is a passion for this club."