Tade signs for Caley Thistle while Rooney ponders deal
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CALEY Thistle assistant boss Maurice Malpas says the arrival of French striker Gregory Tade doesn’t necessarily mean Adam Rooney is on his way.
Malpas is still confident that Rooney will agree to a new one-year contract at the Caledonian Stadium.
He said: “We’re still hopeful that Adam will sign, and as far as we’re concerned no news is good news for us.
“A good offer has been made to Adam, but he said straight away he wanted to speak to one or two other clubs.
“Adam says he definitely hasn’t disregarded our offer. If he doesn’t get what he’s looking for – and we’re talking about the football side rather than money – then he’ll be quite happy to sign again.
“He’s loved his time at Caley Thistle and been scoring goals, so he would not have any hesitations about signing again.”
Turning to 24-year-old Tade’s decision to join ICT after his contract with First Division side Raith Rovers came to an end, Malpas said people shouldn’t think his signing is designed to replace Rooney.
He said: “I don’t want people to think that Adam’s away.
“Gregory will add another string to our bow in terms of our strike force.
“Last season there was too much onus on Adam and Richie Foran being our main strikers and we never got enough people chipping in.
“I’m delighted he’s agreed to sign and now it’s just a case of getting the paperwork done.
“He’s somebody we’ve looked at a lot this season and we’re quite happy he’s finally decided to join.
“He’s got some pace and is direct, and I think he’ll cause defenders some problems.
“He’s a different type of forward to what we’ve got at the club just now.
“Hopefully he’ll come and settle in quickly and be a big asset to the team.”
