Chris Sutton reckons former teammate and current Hoops interim boss Neil Lennon will demand high standards at Celtic if given the job on a permanent basis this summer, writing in his weekly Daily Record column.
The club face a summer of high transfer activity after the end of the Brendan Rodgers era, with a number of players set to leave the club and be replaced by new charges who can help deliver nine and ten in a row.
It undoubtedly feels like the beginning of a new cycle at the club and if Lennon is in charge of it then Sutton reckons he won’t be happy unless he is backed appropriately in the transfer market.
Writing in his Daily Record column, the former striker said:
He’ll be fully aware of what the situation is right now at Parkhead and he can see exactly how the club is placed going forward.
Celtic need a massive rebuild. He’s said it himself in public and he’ll have said it to Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell.
It’s going to take big backing and major moves in the transfer market this summer looking ahead to next season and the Neil I know isn’t going to be anyone’s patsy.
Scaling down on the manager might be a way to getting those running costs that Brendan Rodgers built up cut back down a bit.
That’s fair enough but I can’t imagine Neil just accepting whatever is given to him. Being subservient and basically grateful to get the job. That’s what Ronny Deila was and look how that ended.
There’s no doubt Lennon appears to have calmed down a lot from the days of his first spell at the club, but he’ll also know more than anyone that we are in rude financial health right now.
Being more level headed on and off the touchline has not dimmed his ambition and he’ll only want the very best for Celtic if he is chosen to lead the club forward.
Whether it’s Lennon or another, we need a head strong manager in the post that can challenge Lawwell and the board to deliver the financial backing that the first-team needs.
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